At seven, Karl Stevenson is too young to grasp death. When his parents tell him Uncle Douglas passed away last night in their house, he doubts them and believes his beloved uncle will return to keep a promise. Months later, something his babysitter says not only affirms his faith but also spawns a theory: what if his newborn brother, Samuel, is his uncle, reincarnated? Karl launches a quest to prove this. Only he finds his mother's resistance to discussing his uncle a formidable barrier. Adolescent distractions also present obstacles in his struggle to reconcile the odd events of the past with the present. Yet like an upbound ship navigating the Welland Canal from one lock to another, Karl is resolute in going after the truth. Even if it tarnishes the heroic image of his uncle. Or upends his life and the lives of those close to him, once his probing clashes with Helen Stevenson's determination to contain family secrets.