The film is about a young boy named Oliver and his family, who move from a bustling city to a quaint suburban neighborhood. The night of the move, Oliver hears a piano playing in the attic, and finds a thin wall which he breaks through to get to the attic. He meets a ghost who tells him to mind his manners, and then scares him away. Oliver wakes his parents and sister and brings them to the attic, but they do not see the ghost and think that Oliver is just imagining things. After time, Oliver begins to bond with the ghost, Clive, knowing they share a love of reading and knowledge. Clive then helps Oliver deal with bullies and Clive shares with him his intense dislike for Halloween. Later Oliver's family begin to hear and see strange things around them, but believe that Oliver is causing the trouble due to his dislike of their new home. Clive tries to reveal himself to the family, but they are unable to see him. Oliver also constantly keeps telling them about Clive, but don't believe him. Eventually, Clive is able reveal himself to the family and states his displeasure with all of them, pointing out how they ignore Oliver, have little time for him and how they have broken their promise to be a real family. Clive also reveals his disgust of how they've made Oliver feel there is something wrong with him and shows his disappointment of how they've failed to realise that Oliver has been a victim of constant bullying. Fed up with their behaviour, Clive demands they leave. Realising their mistakes and seeing that Clive was right, Oliver's family apologizes for how they have treated him and promise to do better to become a real family. His family then researches Clive's past and discover he had a daughter named Elizabeth, who fell in love and eloped the day after her eighteenth birthday leaving Clive heart broken. The family launches an effort to track down his daughter, and bring her to their home. Elizabeth arrives and begins to search through the attic. Much to Clive's dismay she cannot see him or hear him. Acting as an interpreter Oliver begins to tell Elizabeth how her father really feels, and finally gives her a letter that Clive had penned. Reading it she finally realizes her father's true intentions and returns home to her family. Knowing that Elizabeth read his divine letter and understood that he really cared for her, Clive finally finds peace and moves on to the afterlife.
