文学教授所罗门在女友不幸逝世后，郁郁寡欢，离职了一年。塞缪尔一直在遭受反复的噩梦：一个女人在一场奇怪的仪式中被残忍杀害。后来，如同梦境重演，一个受害者在相同情境下被无情杀害。 塞缪尔随即开始调查犯罪现

本片根据乔·希尔同名短篇小说改编：1978年间美国科罗拉多州一处郊外小镇里，一位名为芬尼·萧的少年被绰号为“掳童犯”的杀手绑架，而此前已有五位孩童被后者绑架杀害。芬尼之后在囚禁他的地下室中发现一部古董

FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner is the prime suspect in a homicide involving a woman he was with the night of her death. Mulder and Scully are all he has to prove his innocence, as superior officers try to shut him down and the only clue is a mysterious old woman.