Heather Bruce is a young New York archaeologist whose career is in crisis. In a desperate bid to salvage her reputation she begins an excavation at a castle in the Scottish Highlands - where her 16th Century ancestor was burnt as a witch. At Castle Calder her own flesh and blood mingle with the earth she's disturbing. She's fascinated by her Scottish heritage - but terrified of what she might uncover if she digs too deeply. As she reveals the castle's secrets Heather is overwhelmed by urges which are dark, sensuous and disturbing. In that Gothic setting, where the walls and paintings remember what they have witnessed, she is unable to separate past and present, reality and nightmare. Her sanity, and her life, hang in the balance...