After Jacobs is murdered, his ghost congregates with other ghosts, plays tricks on people, and wanders aimlessly through middle America. Eventually, he begins to help the living by telepathically influencing their thoughts and, ultimately, attaching himself to Dewey and her son. Dewey helps Jacobs to "cross over" and find the peace and freedom that was denied him in life and during the first hundred years after his death.

The Ghost Who Would Not Die is a gripping, Civil War-era tale, as well as a well-told, true ghost story that is sure to appeal to readers interested in the supernatural and life after death.