One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. The bookstore he runs is deserted, so he shutters it, gets into his car, and starts to drive. Soon he is lost, and when his car breaks down on an isolated country road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents welcome him with open arms--but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, and claim to have been waiting for him for days. Who are these people? And what do they intend for John?