The story starts with the ghosts of two boys, Edwin and Charles (seen previously in issue #25 of "The Sandman" and later in "The Dead Boy Detectives"), who have set up shop as detectives for hire, with nothing but the knowledge of the great mystery novels and films. The two boys are approached by a young girl that finds their ad and enlists them to locate her brother who, along with several other children, disappeared from the small English hamlet they all live in, called Flaxdown.