In the summer of 1954, bailiffs Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule come to the Ashcliff insane offender hospital to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the patients, child killer Rachel Solando. A hurricane intervenes in the investigation, cutting off the island from the outside world. Gradually, Teddy begins to realize that in "Ashcliffe" everything is not as it might seem at first glance...