Storm of the Century

As a powerful blizzard approaches Little Tall Island in 1989, Martha Clarendon, an elderly resident, is brutally murdered by a menacing stranger. This event sets a dark tone and raises fears among the townspeople about the stranger's intentions. The town begins to realize they are facing more than just a storm, but an ominous threat.

Town manager Robbie Beals starts investigating the murder and the strange stranger, who terrifies him by revealing shameful secrets from his past. His suspicion about the stranger's sinister motives grows as the threat to the town becomes clearer. The stranger's knowledge and menace put the town on edge.

Mike Anderson, a supermarket manager and part-time constable, arrests the stranger who identifies himself as André Linoge. Linoge's calm yet threatening demeanor hints at his supernatural knowledge and malevolent purpose. The town begins to realize the stranger's dangerous nature.

While in jail, Linoge possesses several townspeople, causing suicides and a murder. He escapes in the form of a wizened old man, repeating his demand for a child, and disappears into the storm. The townspeople are terrified of his influence and the growing loss of life.

The residents take shelter in the town hall during the storm. Linoge appears on television as a televangelist and delivers a chilling lecture about the consequences of refusing him. A shared nightmare of desolation and disappearance unites the townspeople in fear and confusion.

During the storm, residents experience visions and the town's children fall under Linoge's spell, dreaming of flying with him. Three residents vanish while watching the lighthouse collapse, with two dying and Angie Carver found aged and alive. Ralphie, Mike's son, also goes missing and is found with Linoge.

Mike finds Linoge holding a resident hostage inside the town hall. Linoge mocks the townspeople, calling them sinners, and demands a child. He describes his ancient existence and expresses his desire to raise a sorcerer, warning that their refusal will fulfill a deadly prophecy.

During a town meeting, all residents, including Mike's wife Molly, decide to surrender Ralphie to Linoge. Linoge then conducts a lottery and chooses Ralphie, transforming into his warlock form. He thanks the residents contemptuously and warns them never to speak about what happened.

Linoge takes Ralphie in his arms and flies away into the night sky, having fulfilled his demand. Mike is left devastated, begging for his son in the snow, overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness and despair. The town is haunted by the tragedy of their forced compliance.

Mike leaves Little Tall after his marriage to Molly ends, returning to college and becoming a U.S. Marshal in San Francisco. Molly divorces him and later remarries Hatch, the new town constable. Several residents die from remorse and guilt, and Linoge and Ralphie are seen passing by Mike in Chinatown, with Ralphie having turned evil.

In the aftermath, Mike considers revealing what he saw to Molly but ultimately chooses to keep the secret, accepting that some truths are too dangerous to disclose. The story ends on a note of lingering darkness and unresolved trauma, emphasizing the ongoing influence of Linoge's evil.