Virgil, an elderly vagrant, lives in a cabin in the middle of the Maryland woods, with only his cat for company. When his cat escapes the cabin, he chases it through the forest, and discovers a little girl burying a dead dog, with the assistance of a mysterious man. When the man proceeds to throttle and kill the girl, Virgil runs for his life and informs the local law. The community finds nothing on their search, and the investigation is called off - Virgil dismissed as a senile old hermit. However, Virgil can't forget what he saw, and launches an investigation of his own: one that will lead him into the jaws of madness itself.