After a devastating construction accident costs Edgar Freemantle his right arm and leaves him struggling with memory problems and uncontrollable anger, his marriage falls apart. At the suggestion of his psychologist, Edgar leaves Minnesota and rents a house on Duma Key, a secluded stretch of the Florida coast.
There, Edgar returns to an old interest in drawing and discovers an extraordinary talent for painting. But his artwork seems to possess abilities that cannot be easily explained, and the more he paints, the more powerful and dangerous his creations become.
Edgar also befriends Wireman, the caretaker of elderly Elizabeth Eastlake, whose family has deep roots on Duma Key. As Elizabeth’s childhood memories begin resurfacing, Edgar discovers that the island has a disturbing history connected to a supernatural entity named Perse.
With the past beginning to intrude on the present, Edgar, Wireman, and Elizabeth must confront the force connected to the island and the strange power emerging through Edgar’s paintings.