Plot summary

As the miniature artist Annie Graham and her family prepare for her mother's funeral--the unbearably complex and cryptic septuagenarian Ellen Leigh--unsettling occurrences and palpable spiritual manifestations start nestling in the secluded house's dark corners. A thick veil of grief and guilt and a sinfully pleasant sense of relief increasingly shroud the already troubled mother. The mounting distress of Annie's 13-year-old daughter Charlie becomes evident, and her older brother Peter begins to feel the relentless anguish of culpability. Now, little by little, a sinister dark presence robs Annie of her free will, demanding a cruel sacrifice in exchange for glorious rewards. Will the Grahams ever shake off the macabre connection to the unseen realm, especially when evil seems to be hereditary?—Nick Riganas