Soon after newlywed Caroline MacCleary (Bibi Besch) gets raped just outside Nioba, Miss., by a hairy, manlike creature, she gives birth to a baby boy (Paul Clemens). But her son, whom she names Michael, begins to suffer from a mysterious malady when he turns 17. Looking for answers, the MacClearys return to Nioba, where they find the name of Caroline's attacker -- and a community desperately attempting to conceal a dark secret.