The Time of Their Lives

Horatio Prim arrives at the Kings Point estate carrying a letter of commendation from General Washington, hoping it will help convince Tom Danbury to consent to his marriage to Nora O'Leary. He has failed to raise enough money to buy Nora out of indentured servitude, so the letter is his best chance. The arrival is shadowed by Cuthbert Greenway, Danbury's devious butler, who immediately begins plotting to block Horatio's claim.

Nora O'Leary hurries to present the letter to Danbury, hoping it will clear Horatio's path to marriage. In her haste she overhears Danbury discussing his part in Benedict Arnold's plot, revealing a dangerous secret. The moment hints at the larger betrayal surrounding the estate.

Danbury seizes Nora, preventing the disclosure of the letter, and hides it in a secret compartment of the mantel clock. The treacherous plan ties Nora's fate to the letter and to the broader conspiracy in which Danbury is implicated. Greenway's scheming continues as he plots to thwart Horatio further.

Melody Allen, Danbury's fiancée, witnesses the betrayal from outside the window and recruits Horatio to ride to Washington's army and warn them. Horatio accepts the danger and sets out with Melody's aid to deliver the warning. The alliance between Horatio and Melody marks a fateful turn in the estate's history.

American troops move toward arrest Danbury, overrun the estate, loot it, and set it ablaze. In the chaos, Horatio and Melody are shot, and their bodies are cast into a well. The lovers' deaths cement the estate's dark legacy and bind their spirits to the grounds.

With their deaths, Horatio and Melody become trapped on the property, their souls doomed to roam the grounds until their innocence can be proven. The curse ensures they cannot rest, setting the stage for centuries of haunting. The estate remains their imprisonment across generations.

More than 166 years later, the Kings Point estate has been rebuilt and restored. Playwright Sheldon Gage invites his fiancée June Prescott, her Aunt Millie, and his psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenway for a weekend visit. The clairvoyant maid Emily welcomes the guests and hints at the ongoing hauntings.

Horatio and Melody reveal themselves, playing tricks on the guests and especially startling Greenway, who they initially mistake for Cuthbert. They are unsettled by modern inventions like electricity and radio. The living respond by organizing a séance led by Emily to seek answers.

During the séance, clues from Horatio and Melody, along with Tom's repentant spirit, reveal that a letter exists and could exonerate them. The group realizes that restoring Horatio and Melody's innocence hinges on finding the missing letter. The mystery deepens as the past and present collide.

The group learns that the mantel clock containing the letter is currently housed in a New York museum. This revelation spurs a plan to retrieve the letter and bring justice to the spirits. Emily and the others prepare to act on this new lead.

Dr. Ralph Greenway travels to the museum to retrieve the letter but finds the clock guarded; after officials refuse to allow him access, he steals the mantel clock and returns to the estate. His act is intended to atone for his ancestor's misdeeds, but it brings the police to the scene. The theft triggers the ongoing confrontation with the law and the curse.

Greenway arrives back at the estate with the clock, and state police arrive to arrest him. The curse binds Horatio and Melody to the estate and prevents the officers from taking Greenway away, safeguarding the spirits' chance at redemption. The tension mounts as the legal battle unfolds on haunted grounds.

The clock is finally opened and the letter revealed, proving Horatio and Melody's innocence. The spirits are freed and offered a path to heaven, completing their long vigil. The living and the dead share a moment of reconciliation as justice is served.

Each ghost is called to heaven by a loved one: Melody by Tom and Horatio by Nora. Yet a sign at heaven's gate reads 'Closed for Washington's Birthday,' so Horatio must wait one more day to enter heaven. The haunting ends with a bittersweet reminder of unfinished business and enduring bonds.