The movie begins with a haunting voiceover by a young girl, Scarlett Sher, narrating a mysterious event that took place in the town of Maybrook two years prior. On a seemingly ordinary Wednesday morning at 2:17 AM, 17 second grade students from Ms. Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) class vanished without explanation. All the children, except for one boy named Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), left their homes in the darkness, running with their arms stretched out, and disappeared into thin air. No one knows where they went or what caused such an inexplicable mass disappearance.
The story follows Justine, who is questioned about the incident, but she and Alex are unable to provide any useful information. At a town meeting held at the school, Principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong) addresses the gathered parents. Tensions run high, especially as many blame Justine for the kids’ disappearance, accusing her of saying or doing something that triggered their departure, despite her own worry and confusion. The community's suspicion and anger threaten her, and she finds herself under attack both emotionally and literally, with anonymous threatening calls and graffiti targeting her.
As her mental health begins to falter, Justine tries to cope with her depression by frequenting a liquor store for alcohol. Her situation worsens when she receives a threatening call and finds her car spray-painted with the word "WITCH". Her boss suspends her from her teaching duties, citing past boundary breaches, and she eventually reports the vandalism and threats to the police.
Later, she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), a cop, and they share a night together, even as she struggles with her mounting fears. The next day, Justine spots Alex walking home alone; concerned for him, she follows him to his house, only to find his parents sitting eerily still inside. When she attempts to check on them, they don't respond, prompting her to report her suspicions to Marcus, who orders her to stay away from Alex's home.
The next series of disturbing events unfolds when Justine is attacked at the liquor store by Donna (June Diane Raphael), who knows about her affair with Paul and viciously attempts to retaliate with vodka. That night, Justine experiences a nightmare of her classroom filled with her students, all eerily silent, with Alex wearing sinister clown makeup. She wakes up frightened, haunted further by a creepy red-haired woman who appears on her ceiling.
She continues to follow Alex, who insists he's fine, but his angry response to her prying hints at deeper secrets. Her relentless surveillance leads to her being followed and attacked by the mysterious woman, who enters her unlocked car and snips a lock of her hair — a sinister act.
Meanwhile, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), another concerned parent whose son Matthew (Luke Speakman) is among the missing, investigates the disappearances. His worries mirror those of others, as he watches footage and uncovers similarities between his son and other missing children, like the Baileys' kid. Archer’s investigation reveals patterns suggesting the children ran in straight lines to a specific location, the Lilly house.
Paul, determined to uncover the truth, patrols the town and encounters individuals like James (Austin Abrams), a drug addict living in the woods who witnesses disturbing things in the house. James breaks into the Lilly home and is horrified to find the children standing motionless, seemingly in a trance. Later, he reports a reward for information about the children, making him a target, which leads to a violent chase involving Paul.
Marcus’s investigation takes a dark turn when he encounters Gladys (Amy Madigan), Alex’s aunt, who claims her family is unwell but then exposes herself as a malevolent force. In a terrifying confrontation, she uses dark rituals, snipping locks of hair from Justine and Marcus and chanting strange incantations that cause chaos and violence. Marcus is ultimately killed in a gruesome car accident after her malevolent influence takes hold.
In the aftermath, Justine and Archer join forces to investigate the house where the children disappeared. As they penetrate its ominous boundaries, they encounter possessed individuals, including a zombified Paul and James, as well as the sinister Gladys, who manipulates the situation with her dark magic. During the climax, Alex, trying to save everyone, uses a magical branch made from her ritual object, pricking his finger and breaking a spell by mixing his blood with a lock of Gladys’ hair. This supernatural act causes the children to break free from her control, escaping the house in chaos while Gladys is viciously torn apart by her own possessed creations, finally ending her malevolent rule.
In the aftermath, the children are reunited with their families or institutionalized, and some begin to speak again. Alex is shown in a happier, safer environment, and Justine finds peace, having been freed from her torment. The story underscores a blend of supernatural horror and human tragedy, exploring themes of innocence, fear, and the dark secrets lurking beneath a small town’s surface.
> "Sometimes, the darkness just needs a little light to shine through."
