After John Haloran dies, his wife, Louise, fears that she will be denied his inheritance. Fabricating a story about John traveling to the United States, she joins the rest of the Haloran family at their Irish estate as they hold a memorial for John's sister, who died in a lake eight years ago. Louise schemes to convince Lady Haloran that she can speak with the dead child. However, this plan is interrupted by an axe murderer loose on the estate.