For seven generations, a member of the Gates family has been digging the same hole. They are drawn to the task by a force none of them can explain. Loretta is the latest digger, and she will be the last because she never had children. What waits at the bottom of that hole, if she reaches it, could end the world. Meanwhile, Rusty Clemmons is home for his twentieth high school reunion. He is rethinking life and trying his best not to dwell on the past. He notices changes in his hometown, strange behaviors and an odd smell. As things get worse, he must decide if he should help...or if he should run.