Joss, who grew up in a loving home, never before felt any curiosity about her lineage, but now needed to know why her mother abandoned her. Joss soon learns that both her parents are dead and that she has inherited Belheddon Hall in Essex, England. She also finds out that her two brothers died there in accidents, and her mother gave her up out of fear she would be the next casualty. At the same time, her husband's partner embezzles funds that subsequently leads to their engineering company declaring bankruptcy. Joss and her family move into the inherited home even though it leaves Joss feeling cold and uneasy.
Strange things seem to occur in the house.
She hears voices and laughter from young boys. When the eerie phenomena turn worse after Joss gives birth to Ned, the worried mother thinks something evil, perhaps even the devil, is trying to destroy her family. Her spouse, in turn, believes that Joss is the cause of the dangers periling the family, especially after he becomes convinced that she is abusing the two little children. Joss now realizes that she must carry on the fight alone to overcome a seemingly insurmountable family curse that has destroyed her biological relations for centuries before she and her two boys become the latest casualties. Barbara Erskine paints a frightening picture of an evil using all in its repertoire in an attempt to destroy a basically good family.