12-year-old Diana and her 8-year-old brother, Georgie, are hiding in the woods. They eagerly await the arrival of the new caretaker for Oak Hill Manor, colloquially known as “the old Willis place.” When the mansion’s owner, Miss Lilian Willis, died without a will, the property fell into the hands of the county—and those of a regular rotation of caretakers who live in a trailer close to the now dilapidated house. As a truck passes the children’s hiding spot, they see a man named Mr. Morrison, a large dog named Macduff, and a young girl named Lissa, who seems close to Diana’s age.

Lissa and her father unload a “shiny blue bicycle off the truck” (5). Diana and Georgie are captivated, longingly remembering their own bikes, which “disappeared a long time ago, soon after the bad thing happened” (5). Georgie wants to ride the bike far away from the old Willis place, but Diana reminds him that he could only go so far as the front gate. Diana wishes to befriend Lissa, but Georgie says that this, too, is not allowed. The siblings have four personal rules—the first two being to not leave the grounds and to avoid being seen by others.