The tranquility of a lazy spring afternoon is disrupted by the roar of a shiny, new, deep blue Packard convertible as it speeds down a country road. The driver, Chet Cromwell, the son of Grotton's most prominent citizen, reaches under his seat to take a swig from a bottle of bourbon whose contents have been diminished with each tick of the odometer. His companion is Jeanette Burnette, a pretty, young girl from a good family who has fallen on hard times. He brings the car to a stop on a dirt road and he puts the bottle down long enough to slide his hand under her dress. The offending limb is slapped and laughing, they tumble out of the car, landing in the soft grass. It's a warm afternoon and the couple spend it sharing the contents of the bottle on the banks of a nearby river. Their relationship provides the backdrop of a saga that spans three generations beginning with an exchange of vows in a church sanctuary, witnessed by friends and family. The product of that union, Pearl, dies tragically and becomes a spirit who roams the halls of her home, condemned to seek retribution for her violent and untimely death. Years pass and generations come and go but the spirit remains until Jeanette's granddaughter moves to Grotton, unaware of the peril that awaits her and her child.