Austin suffers from achluophobia-a paralyzing fear of darkness. She seems to be coping well, until she's accidentally trapped in a windowless room and the lights go out. Needing help to overcome the panic attacks that leave her unconscious, she starts seeing a not unattractive therapist. Her search for healing is sidetracked, however, when she realizes that each time she has an attack someone close to her is killed. As the body count rises, Austin is driven to find the killer, but where should she begin her search? Is someone seeking revenge? Has a serial killer come to her quiet Pacific Northwest town? Or, has something sinister followed her from childhood-something she met once before-in the dark?