Laura, Elisabeth Shue, is an artistic dancer married to a wealthy New York City businessman. After a dance performance, she suspects she might be pregnant. On the subway home, she notices a young woman across from her holding a baby; a moment later the woman is gone, leaving only a baby wrapped in a blanket—a doll. Alarmed, Laura reaches for the infant, but it’s just a doll, and she hears a distant cry echoing in the background. She stops at a drugstore to pick up a pregnancy test, bringing the doll home with her. Later that night, she and her husband Steve, Steven Mackintosh, share the good news: he has made partner at his firm and she is pregnant.
They move to the countryside, hoping for a fresh start, but Laura is soon haunted by the persistent sound of a crying baby that unsettles her deeply. One day, while speaking with her mother, Blair Brown, she leaves their dog in the basement; the dog later dies after ingesting rat poison she had laid out for mice. The cries continue to intrude on her sleep and sanity, gnawing at her emotional health.
Laura’s labor arrives with complications, and she undergoes an emergency C-section, giving birth to a girl. She visits the nursery and feels a cold distance from the other new mothers, struggling to connect with her own baby. At home, insomnia and difficulties pumping breast milk compound her distress. Her mother reassures her that postpartum depression is common and urges Steve to help, but he remains busy with work. In a bid to stabilize Laura, Steve hires an au pair named Mrs. Kasperian, Kathleen Chalfant, whose presence is meant to be a steadying force.
The routine of a social dinner at Steve’s firm becomes a source of escalating anxiety for Laura. She frets over her appearance, dyes her hair, and ends up rushing to the event with the baby in tow, only to fear that people are judging her. The hair dye leaves streaks in her hair as she contends with the stress of motherhood, prompting a tense departure from the dinner with Steve bringing her home.
Nightmares intensify as Laura’s consciousness slips between reality and unsettling visions. She checks the baby monitor and sees Mrs. Kasperian pulling a butcher knife from the crib, triggering a heated confrontation in which Mrs. Kasperian is alarmed by Laura’s apparent mental break. The police are called, but they cannot substantiate the threat. Laura’s husband and the authorities begin to question her grip on reality, and a doctor diagnoses postpartum psychosis, recommending rest and medical support. Steve takes a month off work, and Laura’s mother stays with them to help care for the baby while Laura tentatively returns to dancing.
She hears the baby’s cries again but sees no baby in the crib. The doll sits on a dresser, and Laura eventually buries it under the lawn, a gesture she hopes will quiet the haunting. The next morning, Steve and Laura’s mother wonder where “Jessica” is, and Laura, unsettled, calls out Jessica’s name across the house—only to reveal that Jessica was likely the baby doll she buried. The film closes with Laura waking from sleep, a smile on her face that hints at a relief that may be fleeting, as the line between reality and illusion remains dangerously blurred.
