Some folks in the small town of Canandaigua, New York, said John Merritt had a death wish. Maybe they were right. Why else would he be out ice fishing after a brief warm spell had thinned the lake's frozen crust? After an almost predictable plunge through the surface, he's saved by a team of medical experts who specialize in salvaging victims of cold water drowning. But the aftermath of John's recovery, filled with ghostly visions and uncontrollable changes in his behavior, causes him to question his own sanity. Could all this be the result of his Near-Death Experience, or is something more sinister afoot?