Legend has it that in medieval times the children of Hamelin were led East into Transylvania...In bleak post Ceausescu Rumania, Dr Sacha Maritsa a psychiatric researcher absorbed with the high incidence of mental illness among the women of Alva, a remote mountain village near the border with Russia, gradually uncovers a horrific history of ritual child murder. After the latest incident Maritsa and police inspector Valentin almost succeed in cornering their prime suspect who appears to elude justice by dying in a plane crash. Local cop Dave Durant and his music teacher wife Diane seem to lead an idyllic life with their three children in the small lakeside town of Sunny Mead, New Hampshire.All that mars their contentment is the disability and muteness of their 13-year-old son Pip as the result of a car accident. When Diane engages new arrival Diep Koppelberg as a therapist for her son, Diep's charm and exceptional musical talent captivates all who in the little community meet him and Diane and her daughter are gradually drawn to him to the point of infatuation. Only Pip sees Diep differently. Where others see beauty he sees only ugliness and decay. Where they see benevolence, he sees malice and unspeakable evil. Either Pip must succeed in convincing his family of the danger before it is too late or find a way to confront the threat himself.