Drew and his parents drive up to an old, haunted-looking house in Missouri. Drew is overcome with dread and reconsiders the choice to spend the summer with his Great-Aunt Blythe in their ancestral family home rather than go to camp Tecumseh. Drew’s father reminds him that his “pal” Martin would be at camp, and Drew remembers how Martin relentlessly bullied him during the school year. He decides that anything would be better than spending the summer with Martin.

The sky darkens and a mysterious wind begins to blow. They drive through bushes and scraping branches. The house appears derelict, with peeling paint and thick ivy vines. Aunt Blythe rushes out to greet them along with the family dog, Binky, and Drew momentarily forgets about his trepidation in his excitement to see his beloved great-aunt. Aunt Blythe asks what they think of the house and comments on how she enjoys a challenging project like home restoration in her retirement. She warns everyone that her father, who lives in the house, is cantankerous and conflates the past and present.

As the storm begins, Drew catches a glimpse of something small and white in the upstairs window that looks like a face.