In a town where secrets are kept hidden no matter the cost, elderly widow Mae Reese discovers that her house seems to be growing "e;dirt."e; No matter how hard she scrubs, scours, mops, and cleans, the "e;dirt"e; is everywhere, consuming her once immaculate home. Over time, she begins to see the connection between this mysterious onslaught of filth, and the long-ago murder of teenager Betsy Palmer, and learns that even the dead can exact revenge.