Tidewater Virginia, 1795, a place of affluence and gentility supported by abject slavery. Among the most powerful and wealthy is plantation owner Horace Parlen. Filled with pride, greed and arrogance, Parlen takes what he wants. When he covets the land of a poor widow and her young grandson, Parlen encounters a foe unlike any he has ever met. Soon, an unimaginable horror menaces all he cherishes. Evil compels him to unwittingly harm the ones he cares for the most. Tormented by forces beyond comprehension, Parlen watches helplessly as his comfortable life shatters. When all seems lost, even his immortal soul endangered, Parlen realizes aid exists in the most unexpected place. To save himself, he must seek the help of a man he has grievously injured, someone with every reason to hate him and delight in his downfall. The lives of two families intertwine in this tale of ghostly occurrences, occult spells, great cruelty and the redeeming power of love.