In the summer of 1878, eighteen-year-old Esther Cox was assaulted at gunpoint by a male acquaintance, leaving the Nova Scotia teenager traumatized and afraid. In the days that followed, Esther and those with whom she shared a house in rural Amherst began to notice unusual things occurring around the house including knocking on the walls and floors, objects flying around the house, and Esther suffering frequent seizures without any apparent cause.