At a Virginia church gathering in 1906, a young girl named Heddy begins to vomit insects, snakes, and other horrifying creatures. Aurelius, a hoodoo rootworker, immediately senses that another girl named Millie has cursed Heddy for liking a boy named Gillis. Aurelius quickly travels home on horseback to prepare a special potion to cure Heddy of the curse. Aurelius conjures Heddy's ancestors, who help him feed the potion to Heddy. Heddy is cured. Aurelius calls out Millie, who is being followed by a tall dark shadow called an "Other" which only Aurelius can see. Aurelius decides that he must get rid of the Other; his work is seemingly never over.