The Seven Rings

In the 1780s, Arthur Poole establishes a successful shipping business and builds a grand house, Poole Manor, on the coast of Maine. A local woman, Hester Dobbs, covets the manor. When Arthur's son, the first Collin Poole, prepares to marry Astrid Grandville, Dobbs murders Arthur in what appears to be an accident. This fails to grant her the manor, so she murders Astrid on her wedding day, steals her wedding ring, and curses the Poole family, decreeing that one bride in each generation will die by her hand. Dobbs then seals the curse with her own blood by leaping from the seawall at 3 a.m., an act that creates a spectral loop replaying her suicide nightly. Over the next two centuries, seven lost brides die, and their spirits remain in the manor. The story opens with Sonya MacTavish, a graphic designer, who has inherited the manor from her late uncle Collin Poole, her father's twin brother whom she never knew. Sonya learns of the curse and discovers a magical mirror that allows her to witness past events. She vows to retrieve the seven stolen wedding rings to break the curse and banish Dobbs.

Several months after moving in, Sonya, her best friend Cleopatra "Cleo" Fabares, her lawyer and love interest Oliver "Trey" Doyle III, and her cousin Owen Poole witness a terrifying spectral reenactment of family deaths orchestrated by Dobbs. By joining together in an act of defiance, they force Dobbs to retreat and solidify their alliance. Sonya and Cleo begin a systematic search of the manor, starting in the office of the last Collin Poole. They find files indicating he had been tracking Sonya and her family, intending to contact her before his death. They also discover boxes of old family photographs and decide to create a Poole Family and Friends Gallery in the Gold Room, Dobbs's primary haunt, once she is gone. A ghostly intervention leads them to a box containing photographs and miniatures of all seven lost brides, including Johanna (the seventh bride), Clover (the sixth), and Astrid (the first). Dobbs later manifests a spectral wolf in the yard, but Sonya's dog, Yoda, and Cleo's cat, Pyewacket, attack and dispel the illusion, revealing a weakness in Dobbs's power. While searching the attic, Sonya finds the desk of Lisbeth Poole, the fifth bride. The magical mirror appears, and Sonya steps through, witnessing a joyful Lisbeth writing about her recent engagement and sensing Dobbs's malevolent presence watching. The group also finds the diary of Marianne Poole, the third bride, and drawings by Jack, a child ghost, depicting a frightening Hester Dobbs.

While sailing on Owen's boat, the group observes Dobbs practicing an illusion of a giant bird, revealing that her magic has limitations. Later, Sonya has a vision of Catherine Poole, the second bride, who speaks directly to her and confirms that the stolen rings can be recovered. Sonya's ex-fiancé, Brandon Wise, arrives at the manor uninvited and becomes aggressive, but the manor's ghosts and pets intervene, terrifying him until he flees. Trey insists on pressing legal charges, leading to Brandon's arrest and a plea deal. Dobbs later attacks Sonya in the yard with her vulture-like creature, but Pyewacket defends her, suffering ice burns but forcing the creature to dissolve.

Sonya has a vision of her father, Andrew MacTavish, stepping through the mirror as a young man. Dobbs confronts him, but he is pulled back to his own time. Enraged, Dobbs is repelled when she tries to strike the mirror, confirming it is protected. Sonya also has a vision of her late uncle Collin playing chess with a young Deuce, Trey's father. Collin speaks to Sonya, confirming he communicated with her father through the mirror and that the curse prevents him from being with his deceased wife, Johanna. He suggests the portraits of the brides are key to solving the curse. Dobbs later traps Sonya in the ballroom, attacking her with terrifying illusions. Just as a heavy cabinet is about to crush her, the spirit of Clover manifests physically, helping Sonya push it back and offering words of encouragement before fading. Cleo, alerted by the ghost Jack, breaks in to help. During the vision of her father, Owen observes that the rings on Dobbs's hand spark with energy when she uses her power, leading the group to conclude the rings are her primary power source.

After Trey's sister Anna gives birth to a daughter, Fiona, Sonya has a vision of the fourth bride, Agatha, accepting a proposal from Owen Poole. Agatha confirms their marriage was a practical fine match rather than a love match. Dobbs later launches a vicious psychological attack, making the portraits in the music room appear as decaying corpses, but the assault ceases at 3 a.m. when her suicide loop reasserts itself. Dobbs then attempts to seduce and bespell Owen, luring him to the Gold Room and commanding him to kill the others. Resisting the spell, Owen proves he would rather kill himself than harm them by turning the knife on himself upon reaching Sonya's room, but Trey disarms him. Sonya later has a vision of the housemaid ghost Molly O'Brian's first day at the manor and realizes she can summon the mirror by wishing to see specific past events.

On Halloween, Trey gives Sonya an engagement ring as a symbol of his belief in her, which she accepts. Soon after, they discover the final missing portrait, Astrid's, in Cleo's studio closet, signed by both Collin and Andrew. When they hang it in the music room, completing the set of seven, the rings in the paintings begin to sparkle in a sequence from last to first, Johanna back to Astrid, signaling the order in which they must be retrieved. They decide to undertake the mission on Samhain, a time when the veil between worlds is thin. Dobbs launches her most violent attack yet, trapping Sonya in the library and physically assaulting her with telekinetic force. Cleo, alerted by a corporeal Clover, bursts in and shoots Dobbs with a BB gun loaded with crystal beads from her grand-mère, injuring Dobbs and leaving a blood-like residue. In the days leading up to Samhain, Trey and Owen deliberately bait Dobbs to drain her power.

At midnight on Halloween, the mission begins. Sonya and Owen step through the mirror, traveling backward through time to the day of each bride's death to retrieve the rings in the specified order: Johanna, Clover, Lisbeth, Agatha, Marianne, and Catherine. With each trip, they grow weaker, while in the present, Dobbs's attacks intensify but also show signs of weakening. For the final ring, Astrid's, the mirror allows only Sonya to pass through. Astrid is aware of Sonya and willingly gives her the ring, stating it will free the brides but will not be enough to destroy Dobbs. With all seven rings, Sonya feels a surge of power. The group confronts Dobbs at the seawall as she begins her 3 a.m. suicide ritual. They use a salt circle and taunts to prevent her from completing her jump before the clock strikes three. Cleo performs a binding ritual using scraps of Dobbs's dress, the blood-like residue, Owen's Poole blood, and seawater. The broken loop causes Dobbs to burst into flames, burning away until nothing remains.

The spirits of the seven brides appear, now free, and Sonya returns each of their rings. Most choose to remain at Poole Manor with Sonya's blessing. The Gold Room is cleansed, ready to be transformed into the family gallery. The following June, Sonya and Trey are married in the garden of the now peaceful Poole Manor, surrounded by their living friends and family, as well as the benevolent spirits of the house.