A visit to her hometown makes Jennifer Russell (Meg Tilly) a bit uncomfortable. She tells boyfriend Stuart (Tim Matheson) that this is a little stranger than normal. Her mother (Lorinne Vozoff) has tried to commit suicide and lies in a coma, but Doctor Carr (Hume Cronyn) seems less than helpful. Staying with her father (John Karlen) is not shedding any light on the incident, and her brother named Eddie (Bill Paxton) remains aloof. When the couple investigates, they begin to see stranger behavior patterns. The remainder of the town has become decidedly eccentric, perhaps traumatized by a recent minor earthquake. Normal actions now spawn inappropriate responses by townsfolk.