Having been relocated to London by their parents, Judith and her cancer-stricken younger brother, Gabriel, find themselves living in an ancient schoolhouse so their parents can research and microfilm the school’s historical records. While his mother and father are preoccupied down in the archives, Gabriel remains upstairs, wasting away. Judith begins to worry that their family ties are wasting away, too. An old silver heart-shaped pendant and visits from a ghostly apparition of a young boy seem to hold the key to her family’s past, and future. As Judith learns more about her ancestors and the history of the heart pendant, she is able to see her parents with greater compassion. She is tempted to give up on them, but begins to realize that what her family needs, more than anything, is each other.