Beyond the shadows of any known forest grows the Goblin Oak, an enormous tree lit by hundreds of glowing jack-o'-lanterns. All the spirits and strangeness of Halloween come from the Goblin Oak, but a mysterious magic threatens to destroy it. Meanwhile, Amber's stuck at home having the worst Halloween ever, until she meets a trio of professional, pumpkin-snatching goblins. Facing a Halloween night of handing out candy, Amber joins them as they use tricks, cobbled-together gadgets, and teleporting pumpkin cars to snatch more pumpkins and strengthen the Goblin Oak. But the Goblin Oak grows beyond the reach of any map or compass, and is protected by the brambledark: a shifting mass of shadow vines that makes people lost in the woods, or makes them forget their way entirely. To find the Goblin Oak and to save Halloween, Amber must abandon the familiar and become truly lost.