Blacksburg, a sailor on the coast of West Africa, must abandon ship in the midst of a storm and washes up on a ghost town beach, miles away from the closest small village. He stumbles upon an old man and a young woman cooking meat on the beach and approaches them for help. The man seems out of touch with reality, and the young woman, Aamu, identifies him as her "crazy uncle." She explains that he was attacked by wild animals several years ago, which he believes are evil spirits called nikishis. Blacksburg explains his situation to Aamu and inquires more about the surrounding area, looking for a way out of the wilderness. She leads him through the run down village full of abandoned buildings. As the two talk, Blacksburg feels himself drawn to Aamu, who seems free-spirited and naive to him. She leads him into one of the buildings and undresses, and the two have sex, leaving Blacksburg wanting more. They exit the building and Aamu shows him the Jeep she and her uncle arrived in. Blacksburg offers to trade her an expensive diamond for the car, and she agrees. That night, Blacksburg awakes surrounded by hyenas with Aamu and her uncle nowhere in sight. As he tries to flee, he hears his name being called. It is exactly as the uncle described a nikishi attack. Suddenly, Aamu arrives in the jeep, scaring off the hyenas and rescuing Blacksburg, who is ashamed he believed the hyenas to be evil spirits and for having to be rescued by the young girl he thought of as naive. When they escape the animals, he says he will drive and they keep driving through the night as Aamu sleeps. When she awakes Blacksburg tells her to get out. He plans to leave her to die, stealing away in the Jeep to wherever he pleases. She then reveals herself to be a nikishi and eats the man, claiming she had been hopeful that he would be a good man and is disappointed to see his true character exposed.