Former teacher and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance seeks to rebuild his life by accepting a caretaker position at the Overlook Hotel. Following a tumultuous past where his temper cost him his teaching job, Jack meets with Mr. Stuart Ullman, the hotel manager, who warns him about the risks of isolation during the long winter months, particularly concerning cabin fever. He chillingly recounts a previous caretaker, Charles Grady, who tragically succumbed to madness and murdered his wife and children before taking his own life. Despite the grim warning, Jack is determined to focus on his passion for writing and takes the job.
Meanwhile, Jack's young son, Danny, who has a special connection to an imaginary friend named Tony, experiences a seizure while discussing the looming stay at the hotel. Danny gets a horrifying vision of blood gushing from an elevator, a disturbing image that haunts him throughout their time at the Overlook. Upon their arrival, the hotel's head chef, Dick Hallorann, senses Danny's telepathic abilities and informs him about “shining,” a term his grandmother used to describe their unique connection. He warns Danny about the sinister events linked to Room 237, hinting that its ominous past is better left undiscovered.
As the days pass, Jack's mental state deteriorates, plagued by writer's block and sleepless nights. Meanwhile, Danny begins to encounter unsettling visions of the murdered Grady twins, who beckon him to unravel the mystery of Room 237. One day, a ball mysteriously rolls towards Danny from the room, prompting him to venture inside. Meanwhile, Wendy, Jack's wife, senses a shift in Jack's demeanor when he confesses to a disquieting nightmare where he violently harmed their son.
Jack's fury mounts as Wendy accuses him of hurting Danny, driving him into a fit of rage. He wanders the hotel, distracting himself at the Gold Room, where he meets the bartender, Lloyd, and shares the burdensome story of Danny's injury. Jack's volatile emotions come to a head when Wendy insists on seeking medical help for Danny, leading to an explosive confrontation between husband and wife.
Returning to Room 237, Jack encounters an alluring young woman, only to discover her transformation into a decaying corpse, horrifying him. Upon returning to Wendy and downplaying his experience, Jack grows increasingly conflicted between his shattered life and the hotel’s intoxicating allure. As Jack becomes entranced by the hotel's supernatural elements, he meets Delbert Grady, who alludes to Danny's "great talent" and manipulates Jack into believing that he has always belonged there.
As tension in the hotel rises, Wendy prepares to escape with Danny, armed only with a baseball bat. However, witnessing Jack’s erratic behaviors becomes too much as she uncovers his disturbing writings filled with the repetition, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The truth of Jack's descent into madness bursts forth during a final, harrowing confrontation, culminating in a deadly chase through the hotel’s chillingly familiar spaces.
Trapped, Danny uses his wits to evade Jack within the maze's snowy confines. Wendy and Danny narrowly escape in the snowcat, leaving Jack to succumb to the deadly elements, eternally lost within the maze. As the chilling tale concludes, the camera draws close to a wall of historic photographs featuring Jack from an earlier era, revealing a haunting connection to the Overlook Hotel's sinister history, now echoed by an unsettling melody in the empty halls.
