17-year-old Winnie Flynn , a closet horror fan with a starkly realistic worldview, has never known her maternal aunt Mona: a high-profile reality TV producer. Winnie's mom allegedly committed suicide several months ago, and her father has checked out in the wake of the tragedy. When Mona recruits Winnie to spend a summer in their family's home state, working as a production assistant, Winnie figures that she has nothing to lose. Soon she's drawn into a creepy world of paranormal believers and non-believers alike—a world that just might hold the key to vital family secretes.