Following the events of the novella "Darkness Under the Sun," it follows the life of John Calvino, a survivor of a violent attack on his family and current police officer.

John's family (his wife Nicolette, and his children Zach, Naomi, and Minette), begin to be haunted by dreams, sounds in the house, and ghostly phone calls.

John begins to work on the theory that it was not Billy Lucas that killed his family, but rather Alton Blackwood.

Thinking that the medicine she received for her teeth were causing hallucinations, she sees her doctor again, only to have him confirm that the Vicodin she took at the time has not had any adverse effect.

The reader begins to learn about other instances of people being possessed by the spirit of Alton Blackwood, known as the “rider”.

A man named Reese Salsetto, possessed by Alton, attempts to kill his sister Brenda's family and rape his niece.

John's daughter Naomi begins meeting with Melody Lane, a possessed woman who claims to be a fairy queen from a fantasy land.

Numerous people are possessed including the drug-addicted son of Calvino's housekeepers, child-killer Melody Lane, reporter Roger Hodd, and the children's math tutor, Professor Sinyavski.