After accidentally starting a barn fire in his aunt's small Midwestern town, twelve-year-old Andy spends his summer renovating the owner's mansion which previously belonged to a famous magician thought to be responsible for the town's infamous murder.

Andy Carter's summer in a small Midwestern town takes a turn when he's blamed for a barn fire and sentenced to work for a grumpy old man in a mysterious mansion. Once owned by the vanished magician the Red Knave, accused of a 1954 murder, the mansion holds secrets Andy can't ignore. As he investigates the decades-old mystery, Andy navigates small-town suspicion, unlikely friendships, and a growing fascination with magic to uncover the truth behind the Knave's final, tragic disappearance.