Nat and Ruth are young orphans, living in a crowded foster home run by an eccentric religious fanatic. When a travelling conman comes knocking, they see their chance to escape and join him on the road, proclaiming they can channel the dead - for a price, of course. Decades later, in a different time and place, Cora is too clever for her office job, too scared of her abysmal lover to cope with her unplanned pregnancy, and she too is looking for a way out. So when her mute Aunt Ruth pays her an unexpected visit, apparently on a mysterious mission, she decides to join her. Together the two women set out on foot, on a strange and unforgettable odyssey across the state of New York. Where is Ruth taking them? Where has she been? And who - or what - has she hidden in the woods at the end of the road?.