In a 1930s small town rife with lust, corruption and sin, a mysterious figure wielding a scythe arrives to cut an unholy swath of murder, madness, and moralizing that may lead straight to Hell.

Cory Grant must handle a great deal of responsibility and pressure for a boy his age. After his morning paper route, he cooks breakfast for his father, John, who is blind and ill. They talk of Cory's chances as quarterback for the Chase College football team.