It is 1864 when a lost stepbrother returns to a remote Scottish village with the ominous warning, "They dwell beneath the ground." Queen Victoria, who is personally aware of the threat, has sent an agent to investigate reports of cannibalism. Beneath the tiny village dwells a vile tribe of creatures who feed on both the dead and living and who are running out of space. The Teriz are ready to emerge from the darkness, leaving the villagers with two options-to flee or defend. Even after learning more about the tribe's evil leader, the villagers determine they can defeat him and begin developing a plan of defense. Meanwhile, feisty young villager Tamlyn Macleary is soon caught up in the bedlam. After he travels into the woods one afternoon, he and his companions stumble upon an empty wagon that once held twelve Frenchmen-who have now vanished completely. The villagers suspect the worst-the Frenchmen have been taken underground. As Tamlyn and his family attempt to fend off the unspeakable horror that haunts the Scottish moors and threatens to topple the British Monarchy from within, they soon discover that nothing is ever what it appears to be-especially at first glance.