Bag of Bones

Four years after Jo's death, Mike Noonan is paralyzed by writer's block and plagued by panic attacks. He clings to four unpublished manuscripts to keep his agent and editor from realizing how stuck he is. He finally decides to confront his fears by moving to his summer house, Sara Laughs, where nightmares begin to plague him.

On his way to town, Mike encounters Kyra Devore walking in the road and instinctively rescues her, bringing her back to his car. Kyra's mother, Mattie, arrives in a battered jeep, clinging to Kyra and begging Mike never to let her run off again. Mike is surprised by Mattie's fierce protectiveness and warmth, despite his initial, judgmental impression.

Back in town, Mike learns about Mattie's troubled past and the custody fight waged by Max Devore, Kyra's wealthy grandfather who wants control of his granddaughter. Max uses his money and influence to portray Mattie as an irresponsible mother. The more Mike learns, the more he is drawn into the feud.

Feeling compelled to help, Mike hires John Storrow, a custody lawyer, to represent Mattie and begins to develop romantic feelings for her despite the nearly twenty-year age difference. Through the process, Mike also becomes entangled in the Devore family's schemes.

Max's allies push Mike into a deposition for the custody hearing, and Mike, with the help of Romeo Bisonette, turns the tables on the Devore camp by exposing their bluff. He uses wit and steadfast loyalty to Mattie to complicate their strategy.

As Mike begins to write again, both he and Kyra are tormented by hauntings as the ghost of Jo and the local legends press them toward a dangerous truth. Jo's spirit seems to guide him, offering fragments of Sara Tidwell's history and the town's dark secrets. The haunting deepens as Mike tunes into Sara's curse and the mystery unfolds.

Mike learns from locals that Jo had kept returning to town in the year before her death, drawn by Sara Tidwell's lingering presence. He is warned to stay away from old scandals, but his curiosity sharpens as Jo's notes and the town's legends converge.

Max Devore's threats escalate to a violent confrontation, where Max and his aide Rogette nearly drown Mike. The attack is stopped only by help from Jo's protective spirit, saving Mike's life.

Shortly after the assault, Max Devore is found to have committed suicide, removing a major source of pressure and influence over Mattie and Kyra. The town breathes a temporary sigh of relief, but the danger from Sara Tidwell's curse remains unresolved.

During a party attended by Mike, Mattie, John, Romeo Bisonette, and others, a gunman opens fire and Mattie is fatally hit. Mike, the only adult not struck, helps Kyra flee toward Sara Laughs as a fierce storm rages outside. Under Sara Tidwell's influence, Mike nearly drowns Kyra, but Jo's ghost fights to pull him back toward life.

The night of the shooting, Mike searches Jo's studio and discovers hidden documents, including a genealogy linking his bloodline to a town family. The papers reveal that Sara Tidwell's curse targets the line of firstborn 'K' children who would have followed in that family. He realizes the curse is born of past wrongs against Sara and must be broken to save Kyra.

Mike returns to the grave site with a shovel and lye, determined to destroy Sara Tidwell's bones. He faces spectral resistance from Sara's ghost and the town's memories, but Jo appears in corporeal form to help him. After a tense confrontation, he completes the burial-bone destruction, ending the curse.

Back at a nearby property, Rogette kidnaps Kyra and attempts to drown her as a storm continues. Kyra struggles to break free, and Mattie's ghost appears to help, knocking Rogette into the lake where she is fatally injured by wreckage. Mike and Kyra are rescued, and Mattie’s spirit declares Kyra to be Mike's daughter.

In the epilogue, Mike has retired from writing and is pursuing the adoption of Kyra, though the process is slow and complex for a single, unrelated male. He is allowed to visit Kyra and have overnight stays, but the final outcome remains unresolved, leaving room for hope.