Nestled along the shores of North Carolina's Haw River, Crow Creek has its problems—most tragically, several teenage suicides in recent years. Sad, of course, but such things happen. If Pastor Aken didn't insist on maintaining candlelight vigils for the dead girls, most of the town wouldn't think much about the suicides anymore. Sheriff Brad Gleason keeps looking for a connection between the deaths, but that's to be expected—one of the teens was his own daughter, and he's still trying to make sense of her death.
When a sinkhole swallows a car, people, and businesses on King Street, Crow Creek soon discovers the charismatic pastor has a sinister link to the girls' deaths. Sheriff Gleason and a small band of friends find themselves pitted against an unexpected evil and its hellish offspring, even as they struggle to maintain their faith in the face of tragedy.