Jack Taylor and his mother are still struggling to settle into their new lives without Jack’s father as they journey to his hometown for the holidays. Jack’s mother is clinging desperately to happy memories, but she doesn’t seem to remember that she’s repeating the same day over and over. The same bizarre repeating day brings Jack to a small town, where he finds an unexpected ally in an aspiring investigative journalist who has had a few strange days of her own.

Their investigation leads them to the Holiday Hotel, and the two young people discover that the imaginary characters from their favorite stories are more realistic than they ever could have guessed. In this wondrous hotel for vacationing holiday spirits, Jack finds himself caught up in an otherworldly mystery that threatens to destroy his world along with theirs. With the help of his new partner, an alluring fortune teller, and a few benevolent spirits, Jack uses his crackerjack detective skills to help him solve his first case and come closer to unraveling a deep family secret of his own.