In this story told mostly through letters, Noah Breth's feuding children come to Ghastly, Illinois, to follow a trail of limericks to their inheritance, while Seymour tries to convince Iggy and Olive to let him keep Mr. Breth's dog.
Twelve-year-old Seymour Hope and his ghostly "mother" Olive go to Scotland to claim a castle inherited from Ignatius Grumply's punster uncle, Ian, but while they tend an aged tortoise and face an unscrupulous developer, Iggie deals with Ian's ghost and an inept insurance agent.