Noah couldn't recall ever looking into the face of a Night Marcher, nor did he know the act was punishable by death. After all, he was only four years old when it happened. He also couldn't believe the family legend about his grandfather making a pact with a Night Marcher to save Noah's life. If Noah swore an oath to protect the life of the Night Marcher's descendant, the Night Marcher would let Noah live.
Years later, during a sixth-grade service project at an abandoned cemetery, Noah found himself transported to Hilo in 1834, where he must prove the innocence of both himself and the Night Marcher's descendant, who stands accused of murder. Desperate to return to his own time, Noah tricks his guide into sending him back to the present, vowing never to return.
But when Noah confides in his cousin, Blaise, he is branded a coward and accused of abandoning their grandfather. If the oath is not fulfilled, Noah will die the same day the descendant will hang, and his grandfather's spirit will never find peace.
With time running out and the boundaries between the past and present blurring, will Noah risk everything to keep his promise?