Rob Shields has just lost his wife and son. Battling depression, denial, and an irrational fear of darkness, Rob travels to the small town of Mayfield, MD to check out a house he has inherited from his great aunt Wilda, a woman he has never even met. There in Mayfield strange things begin to happen that lead Rob to believe his son, Jimmy, is not really dead. After a restless night and eerie dream, Rob is convinced the answer to the mystery surrounding Jimmys disappearance and alleged death is to be found in a village called Darlington, a town found on no map.

Teaming up with a quirky local waitress who insists she has been there, Shields begins his quest to find the truth about the town and his son. In Darlington, Rob and Juli come face to face with the towns secret, creatures called Darklings inhabit the night and instill paralyzing fear in Darlingtons citizens. Their search for Jimmy leads them into the woods surrounding Darlington where, once in, there seems to be no way out.