Thomas Small, his parents, and twin brothers leave their home in North Carolina for Ohio where Mr. Small has a job teaching history at a college. The time of the setting of the story is at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960's.Their new home has previously been a station on the Underground Railroad. Mr. Thomas received a report that stated Dies Drear, the original owner, and two slaves had been murdered at the house. One additional slave had been at the house at the time of the murder. The caretaker of the house is an elderly man named Mr. Pluto.