Lewis Dearborn is a lonely, anxious, terminally shy boy of eleven when
his great-grandfather passes away and leaves Lewis's family with his
decaying seaside mansion. Lewis is initially delighted with his new
bedroom, a secluded tower in a remote part of the house. Then he
discovers that it's already occupied -- by the ghosts of seven dead
pirates. Worse, the ghosts expect him to help them re-take their ship,
now restored and on display in a local museum, so they can make their
way to Libertalia, a legendary pirate utopia. The only problem is that
this motley crew hasn't left the house in almost two hundred years and
is terrified of going outside. As Lewis warily sets out to assist his
new roommates -- a raucous, unruly bunch who exhibit a strange delight
in thrift-store fashions and a thirst for storybooks -- he begins to
open himself to the possibilities of friendship, passion and joie de
vivre and finds the courage to speak up.