As the town continues to grieve the loss of Tom Childs, Violet and Iris uncover a ghostly factory, floating over the Question Mark Video Store and later near the Quantum Dynamic Solutions Eightcellerator construction site. Violet learns that Iris’ father Gavin is an avid amateur paranormal investigator who runs his own blog, dedicated to ghosts called Spirits of Ohio. Iris suggests that the apparition is connected to the Ames Rifle factory fire that claimed the lives of ninety-nine children in 1866. Gavin mentions that the ghosts of the factory speak in a language where past and future collide together.

Violet and Iris find the ghost factory in the Question Mark Motel, and along with Ms. Holly Peterson, they go inside, seeing a tree covered in burned clothes and shoes. As they delve deeper into the factory’s past, they learn that although the factory owners claimed no remains were ever found, other stories surrounding the appearance of ghostly children present a different possibility. In order to resolve this collision of past and future, Violet and Iris must find where the remains have been hidden. Soon a ghostly message from the children reveals that a compass will lead them to the answer.

Meanwhile, Officer Ron and Holly Peterson’s relationship continues to develop, as they share an intimate moment at the town dump. Shortly after, Officer Ron’s keys go missing. He spends some time riding his bicycle investigating town newcomers and sees Town Council candidate Owen Brandt vandalizing his competitor's yard signs. Still keyless, Ron is assigned to desk duty on the job. Frustrated, he soon discovers that Hilda Durn, elderly resident, has been stealing other town resident’s keys and going in and arranging their belongings at night, in order to keep the town safe. Officer Ron vows to keep her secret.

As the mystery of the ghost factory deepens, Armillaria Quaestio, the gigantic fungus that lives underneath the woods, makes a reappearance and engulfs the historic Lindholm house. While searching for the location of the childrens’ remains, Violet and Iris encounter Agent Oberman, who has been looking into evidence of temporal distortion in town, echoing Mr. Englebrecht’s notion of past and future colliding. Moments later, they receive another ghostly message, beseeching them to explore the ruins of Samuel Lindholm’s house for the missing compass. What new hidden dangers will Violet uncover next?