Two desperate prospectors are hoping to strike the motherlode in an abandoned Colorado mine in the 1870s. While attempting to contend with the crushing effects of isolation, greed, paranoia and the fear of the mysterious creatures that supposedly lurk in the shadows of the mine, they gradually begin to lose their grip on reality.
When a Developer comes to a small town looking at a specific piece of land the locals try to warn him off because that particular piece of land is known to them as The Dead River. They tell the story of the Bates Family who in 1852 were cut off from society by the Great Flood. With this the family became incestious from lack of socialization and even cannibalistic. Well the Developer doesn't believe the locals and decides to survey the land anyways and finds himself in a world of trouble.
A devoutly religious marine, struggling to rebuild the marriage he has lost, must decide whether or not to accept a promotion to another country, further alienating him from family and friends.
