John Haloran dies of a heart attack, and his wife Louise hides his death, telling the family he left on an urgent business trip. Expecting to inherit part of his family fortune if he's still alive. The Halorans family is still grieving over the death of their youngest daughter, Kathleen, who drowned in a pond when she was a child. The family holds an annual ceremony of remembrance, but someone is wielding an ax this year.