When Ned is sent to stay with his relatives in Thunder's Pocket, he's not very pleased. But from the moment a bird flies into the train compartment on his journey there, Ned realizes this will not be an ordinary holiday. What secrets will he find in Marlot's house and gardens? Has the eccentric sculptor, Marlot Corby, really put a curse on Ned's aunt? Life in Thunder's Pocket is going to be anything but dull.