Following the accidental death of his mother, 13-year-old Jeff Matthews and his veterinarian father, Chase, move to Ludlow, Maine: his mother's hometown. He's introduced to the belligerent town sheriff, Gus Gilbert, and his stepson, Drew, whom Gus abuses relentlessly. Jeff also draws the ire of local bully Clyde Parker, who tells him about the story of the Creed family and the legend of the Mi'kmaq burial ground.