As the 19th century edges toward its conclusion in the rural expanse of northern Wisconsin, the local community—predominantly consisting of German, Swedish, and Norwegian immigrants—finds itself engulfed in chaos and desperation. The sudden downfall of multiple mines, paired with a crippling economic crisis and the collapse of banks, sends ripples of fear and confusion throughout the populace. In the midst of this turmoil, an escalating sequence of bizarre and unsettling events begins to unfold, each more disturbing than the last.
Mary Sweeny, a local schoolteacher, suffers a cocaine-fueled breakdown, resulting in an outburst that leaves destruction in her wake, including broken windows in various homes and buildings. Concurrently, a young boy, who is both deaf and mute, experiences a tragic turning point in his life as he commits a senseless act of violence towards his own sister, shattering their once peaceful existence.
In the town of Brandon, two young criminals unleash a savage attack on a farmer, culminating in his murder via a shotgun blast. The older brother, John, portrayed by actor, escapes as panic spreads, igniting a massive manhunt that eventually leads to his capture and life imprisonment for his heinous actions.
As the region spirals deeper into madness, a Norwegian teenage girl tragically drowns herself in a nearby lake, leaving behind a suicide note that exposes her life shrouded in abuse and exploitation by her parents. This heart-wrenching incident acts as a precursor to a series of young lovers who follow her tragic path, choosing to end their lives through hanging and other harrowing methods.
In this thickening atmosphere of despair, Anna, a young Polish girl, is found to be the culprit behind a string of arsons that devastate numerous properties, further agitating the already fraught community.
The tensions simmering beneath the community's surface become palpable as violent outbursts ensue. A father commits the unthinkable by brutally killing his infant son before attempting to take his wife's life. In a separate incident, a young man tragically murders a woman who rejects his marriage proposal, subsequently turning the gun on himself in a moment of despair.
Madness continues to loom heavily over these local communities, with some individuals spiraling into delusions of grandeur and paranoia. One notable figure, John Isaacson, believes he is vanquishing Satan and takes it upon himself to hold an entire Christian meeting at knifepoint. In another peculiar turn of events, a German immigrant engages in the intentional starvation of his livestock, attributing the deaths to claims of witchcraft.
In a final, desperate act of delusion, Mrs. Dutton from La Crosse comes to believe she is the reincarnation of Jesus. Simultaneously, Mrs. Lawson of St. Croix tragically believes she is haunted by Satan and takes the lives of her three children in a senseless act of drowning in a nearby lake.
Amid these alarming occurrences, the quaint town of Brockway becomes home to Pauline L'Allemand, a mysterious figure and French opera singer, who claims to have inherited a plot of land from afar. Accompanied by her son, Edgar, she seeks to establish a new life filled with performances, despite facing skepticism from the locals regarding her disheveled appearance. As days pass, Pauline's mental stability begins to fray, leading her to suffer from auditory hallucinations, convinced she is communicating with spirits. Edgar's theft of cement to mend their crumbling home aggravates the situation, leading to a trial that reveals Pauline's erratic behavior and her bizarre conspiracy theories regarding Catholicism. Ultimately, she is judged legally insane and placed in Mendota Hospital.
Simultaneously, the town is caught in a chaotic spiral as local businesses collapse alongside the economy. The middle-aged residents become embroiled in affairs, inciting a disturbing rise in violence and murder. A vagrant, amid attempts to rob, commits heinous acts before tragically taking his own life. Mary Sweeny, having just been released from Mendota, wanders the area aimlessly, continuing her rampage of destruction. In a startling turn, Pauline L'Allemand escapes from the hospital only to reappear later in Chicago, claiming she was tormented by a ventriloquist's antics from the adjacent room during her stay.
This backdrop of turmoil sets the stage for a juxtaposition of contemporary events from the mid-to-late twentieth century alongside those tumultuous 1890s. This disturbing narrative is underscored by the sense of unease, especially when reflecting on the notorious crimes of Wisconsin natives Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, plunging readers deeper into a captivating yet foreboding tale.
