At 2 a.m., William Powers, soundly asleep for the past several hours, is awakened by the familiar sound of a fairground organ.

Waking up again, but at the usual time that morning, however, he's beginning to believe it was all a dream and the telling of it to his schoolyard gang who didn't believe a word of it did nothing to settle his mind.

Later, though, still haunted by it all, William and the gang turn up some rather strange signs which might support his story. And there was the curious state of the slippers.......They are all soon on a mystical journey, leaving behind puzzled and stricken villagers to begin their search.......