Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) is a young woman that decides on a career change, and decides to be a hospice worker and is quickly hired to care for Ben Devearux (John Hurt), a man who suffered a debilitating stroke, which has rendered him nearly motionless and with no ability to speak and isn't expected to survive much longer. Ellis is brought to the Deveraux home, a huge, rambling home in Louisiana to meet Ben and his domineering and less-than-friendly wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands). The job to care for Ben is arranged by the family lawyer, Luke (Peter Sarsgaard), who convinces Ellis to accept the job, in spite of the objections of Violet Deveraux. Ellis returns to the Deveraux home and is given a tour of the home and handed her own skeleton key to unlock any room in the house. Ellis has a routine with Ben, but it isn't long before Ellis hears strange sounds within the house and one particularly stormy night( doesn't it always rain and thunder in a film like this?), Ellis is shocked to find Ben has actually gotten out of his bed and is on the roof and appears to be attempting an escape from his home! Ben has left a message asking for help and Ellis forces Violet to tell her the history of the home. Rather than being scared off, once she is told the history of the house, Ellis seems to only want to delve deeper into the history of the home, the actual reason why Ben Deveraux is in the state of health he is in and all answers seem to lead to the attic of the home and Violet Deveraux, herself. What ensues is how much truth Ellis puts in the Voodoo tales she's told by Violet Deveraux and what her investigation of the truth tells in the end.