Young novelist Emma has made a name for herself with a series of horror novels about the struggle of a girl at Lizzie's estate against the wicked witch Marianne. Emma herself has suffered from terrifying visions since childhood, but when she started putting them into the pages of her novels, the fears disappeared. Now the writer is releasing the final novel, and her childhood friend Caroline from their hometown comes to ask her to return; after Emma refuses, Caroline hangs herself before Emma’s eyes. With no choice, she must visit her homeland, where almost immediately Emma is met by Caroline's mother, who claims that she herself is Marianne. The witch threatens to kill Emma’s loved ones and demands that she continue writing the novels, because the more people know about her, the stronger she becomes.