Orphaned Jonas Jones is cold and tired, and oh so hungry. And without his little dog Scraps he'd be desperately lonely, too.

So when dastardly Megrim the dog catcher and his sidekick Filch decide they're going to get rid of Scraps, Jonas knows he must do everything he can to stop them.Even if that means going for help at Rickety Hall, the spooky old house on the hill-inside which no o ne's ever dared to venture.