Joel Demetrius is quite looking forward to moving in with his new step-family but as far as his sister Cassie's concerned they're nothing but intruders She doesn't want anything to do with Gerald & his two sons & to make matters worse their new home is a derelict old house neglected for decades Joel thinks it's interesting Cassie thinks it's a dump But his sister isn't the only reason the house doesn't feel like a home As fascinated as he is by the place Joel has to admit there's something not quite right about it Not only does he keep seeing things out of the corner of his eye but his sleep is plagued by nightmares He can't seem to stop dreaming about a terrified boy who keeps repeating the same fractured prayer IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO TAKE As events in the house become harder & harder to explain it seems that the line between nightmare & reality is getting steadily more blurred & when the battle between Cassie & her step-brothers draws everyone deeper into the mystery all four kids are forced to confront the question of just who the intruders really are