Janet inherits her mother's house when her mother dies in a mental institution. When she first arrives at the house, she meets her cousins Hattie and Jonathon, who welcome her warmly. She decides to stay at the house and fix it up so that it won't be condemned. However, neither the house nor Hattie and Jonathon are what they seem to be, and Janet begins to fear for her own sanity as a terrifying past merges with an equally terrifying present.

Terror ensues when Ellen Alexander wakes up alone in a hotel room, with no sign of her husband, Harry. Inquiries at the front desk yield the answer that he has checked out without her, and eventually lead her to Brett, who helps her find the answers she is seeking.