Megumi hates living in the small village of Sotoba. She dreams of graduating from high school and moving to the city. Only two things hold her interest in the village, the giant European Mansion that was recently built atop a hillside and the boy Yuuki Natsuno.

The owners of the mansion, the Kirishiki's, arrive under the cover of darkness. Megumi marches up their mansion with fantasies of being adopted.

Hours later Megumi has failed to return home with the sun set the villagers begin searching the woods for her. They find her lying on the ground pale and weak. The town doctor suspects she is suffering from anemia and the next day she passes away.

Dr. Ozaki holds a meeting with the staff at the clinic and announces his belief that an epidemic of unknown origin is present in the town and his killed 19 people. He asks them to be vigilant in looking for people exhibiting the known symptoms but not to tell anyone in fear of starting a mass panic.

Natsuno continues to have dreams about Megumi staring at him through his bedroom window. The dreams become so disturbing for him that he has trouble sleeping and ask to spend the night at his friend Tooru's house. That night Natsuno has the most vivid dream yet, that Megumi is now in the room with him.