Paul and Alva are playing chess. Alva checkmates Paul, and reminds him that with that move, Sarah Hume, a renowned psychic medium, was able to beat the then-reigning champion, Nikolai Stovankovich. “How do you explain it, Paul?” he asks. Paul says it was obviously fraud, assuming that Sara either cheated to win, or worked with Nikolai himself to defraud everyone else.

“It’s a publicity stunt,” says Paul.

“O, ye of little faith,” replies Alva.

The phone rings, and Evelyn answers. A hollow, metallic voice is on the other end. The voice asks what they do, and Evelyn tells him they catalogue and investigate the unexplained. “Like really weird things?” the caller asks.

“Yes,” she replies. “Things people can’t see.”

“Or don’t want to see,” he says.

On his end of the phone, the speaker is shown masking his voice to produce the creepy effect. Evelyn puts him on speakerphone, and Paul and Alva pay close attention to the conversation. The voice tells them how he keeps having dreams. He keeps dreaming of hurting people, and they’re dead the next day. He can’t keep doing this, he says, and he plans to kill himself. Paul interrupts the conversation and tells the voice who he is. Alva starts researching in the background. Paul tries to get the person on the other end to reveal his name, but the caller hangs up. Alva shows them a clipping about so-called "Bigfoot Murders" in Red Deer, Michigan where victims were mauled brutally.

Alva points out that people are dying, and someone is dreaming about them first. “Doesn’t that interest you, Paul?” Paul takes a deep breath….

In Red Deer Michigan, at the Red Deer Church of the Sacred Cross, Reverend Grafsmuller is preparing his sermon late into the night. Alone. He speaks about faith, hope, and especially charity. “Charity is love,” he says before hearing a noise. The doors blast open, and the Father is attacked by something unseen. He is thrown across the chapel, and is attacked further. From outside, his screams can be heard loudly, along with tearing sounds … and the sound of something inhuman.

On the road to Red Deer, Evelyn describes the past night’s murder to Paul and Alva. Same M.O. as the others. “That makes three now?” Paul asks. Evelyn tells them the names of the previous victims: Wendell Bass, a local scoutmaster & sporting goods store owner, and Denise Jansen, high school nurse. Alva decides they should meet the sheriff first; he’s at the local high school.

In the gym of the high school, Keel, Paul and Evelyn introduce themselves to the sheriff, Ed Prescott. “Bigfoot hunters,” he calls them. Evelyn tells him she used to be a cop, and that Paul and Alva are alright. Sheriff opens up a bit more. He tells them that the three victims had nothing at all in common, just that they were all local. He then says that he’s happy to have Evelyn and Co. in town; “maybe it’ll do some good.”

Outside in the parking lot, Paul shows them a note on the windshield of their car. It reads:

It’s me. The one who called. I can’t believe you guys actually showed.
Go to the library downtown in an hour. I’ll be there.

“It’s a start,” Alva agrees. Evelyn asks to be dropped off at the morgue, so she can get a look at the latest victim.

At the Red Deer Library, Paul and Alva look for their mystery caller. They scan the crowd, hoping to find the quiet type of person they assume would make a call like that. They meet Travis, who says he has been having the dreams since his 13th birthday, but says that they weren’t always about him killing people. He knew all three victims. Alva asks if Travis has ever woken up with bite marks on his tongue, to which he replies “no.” Paul asks if it’s hard for Travis to feel things. He says it’s hard not to.

Travis is on Ritalin for hyperactivity, and he’s very fidgety. He’s afraid of going back to sleep, but he knows that he can’t stay awake forever. Paul asks if he slept last night. Travis said he tried not to, even going as far as to repeatedly poke himself with pins in order to stay awake. Paul tells him that he would have more than pin pricks on his arm if he was really the murderer. He claims he knows he did it, because he sees it. “How can you explain that?” he asks Paul.

”I can’t. Not yet,” Paul says, “but I’m gonna look into it.”

Outside the window, a car pulls up. Travis gets jumpy and takes off. Alone, Paul and Alva discuss theories. Alva mentions an ancient tribe in that region that had a ritual to give a person domain over his dream self, usually involving torture and deprivation, both of which Travis had. Alva thinks Travis may simply be a bad kid who is doing the killing himself. Outside, Travis gets into a police car. “I think the sheriff might be his father,” Paul says

At the Sheriff’s home, Travis is fixated on a violent video game. He goes to set the table for dinner. The Sheriff tells him that today at practice, he did it Travis’s way. “Now, what was your part of the bargain?” he asks.

“To try my hardest,” Travis answers. They’re talking about the wrestling team. The sheriff goads Travis into recreating his failed wrestling match from earlier, where he elbows Travis in the nose. “Hope you learned something,” he says, “clean yourself up and set the table.”

At the Red Deer Coroner’s Office, Evelyn, Paul, and Keel sneak in to examine the body of the minister. Paul objects to their breaking and entering, but Evelyn does not humor him. The body of the preacher is horribly mutilated, with broken bones, multiple lacerations across his face and abdomen, and a crushed pharynx. Paul doesn’t think Travis could’ve done this. Evelyn argues that Ritalin can be just as bad as cocaine as a stimulant. Alva points out that half of the man’s tibia is missing; extracted. Alva says he needs to talk more to the locals, while Evelyn says she’ll go back to the school to try and rule some things out before something else happens. Paul wants to eliminate the partial seizure theory. He’s going on stakeout.

In the high school, Evelyn goes to speak with the guidance counselor, who is also the wrestling coach and a part-time teacher, to boot. She asks about his grades, and behavior. The counselor says he’s a bright kid who just isn’t conventionally bright, and that kids like him can fall through the cracks. “Where’s his mom?” Evelyn asks. The counselor replies that she is dead, but he has an aunt over in the next county, and that Travis doesn’t have many friends. “Would you say that Travis has any violent tendencies?” Evelyn asks.

“I wish,” he replies jokingly. Travis was put on the wrestling team only as a favor to his father, Sheriff Prescott. Evelyn argues that Travis is having a rough go dealing competitively with people twice his size. “Sometimes a good ass-kicking is just what a boy needs to keep in line.” He says that Prescott is doing everything he can as a single father to make that boy into a man. Evelyn isn’t trying to hear it. The Counselor argues that the sheriff is “one of the good guys,” and that whatever goes on in that house is none of his business.

“You’re Travis’ guidance counselor, I think it is your business,” Evelyn says.

”I think I’m finished talking to you.” He ends their conversation.

Inside his room, Travis is vainly attempting to stay awake. He has a black eye from the elbow from his dad. He pokes himself with pins to keep awake. Outside of the Prescott’s place, Paul is on stakeout and sees Travis leaving from his bedroom window. Paul gets out to investigate.

Inside a local bar, Alva goes in and orders himself a drink. He tries to make small talk with a Native American man who assumes Alva is a homosexual. Alva replies, in the man’s native language, that he is an investigator of the paranormal. The man nods in the direction of an older Native American Elder in the corner. Alva speaks to him in the native language again: “Most Respected Elder. Can you tell me of the spirit that steals bodies?”

“You’d better sit down,” the Elder says.

Paul has followed Travis to a cabin in the woods. Light emanates from the windows. He knocks, startling Travis, and asks to come in. They talk. Travis says that only he and Jimmy know about this cabin. Jimmy is his best friend who goes to reform school a couple towns over. They meet in the woods and talk about “life and junk.” Travis seems very fond of Jimmy, so Paul asks can he meet him. Travis said Jimmy won’t come if he knows Paul is there. He doesn’t like people, or the way they smell. Paul asks if Jimmy gave Travis the black eye, to which he says he did it to himself. Paul tells him he had nothing to do with the killings. Paul makes him a deal: Travis goes to sleep, and Paul will make sure he doesn’t get up and murder anyone. “I promise,” Paul says.

Travis asks “What if I try to kill you?” Paul simply tells him to go to sleep.

Nighttime at the high school. The wrestling coach is working at his desk. He hears a noise, and goes to investigate. He is thrown back into his office, and repeatedly tossed around the room by an invisible force. He is killed soon after.

Back at the cabin, the sun is shining through the windows. Travis wakes with a start, and says “I did it again. Someone’s dead.” Paul has watched him all night, and insists that he didn’t hurt anyone, that no one’s dead. From the woods, Sheriff Prescott calls out for his son. Travis goes to meet him. The sheriff demands to know where Travis was, to which Travis replies that he was sleeping outside. The sheriff sees Paul, and makes Travis get in the car. Paul explains what’s going on, and it doesn’t even register. “How did he get that black eye?” Paul asks. The sheriff doesn’t answer, but instead answers his CB, where he’s informed of the fatality at the high school. The sheriff tells Paul to stay over 100 feet away from his son under penalty of law.

In the bar, Paul meets up with Evelyn and Alva, and explains about the newest murder. He maintains that he’s sure Travis didn’t do it, because he was with him all night. Evelyn thinks the sheriff might be involved. Paul tells them about the abuse Travis is suffering at the hands of his father. Paul asks if a human can really be doing these things. Alva replies “no,” and begins to relate a very strange story he heard last night from the Elder. Long before the natives had that land, there existed an ancient tribe who, according to legend, believed that twins were considered to be a monstrosity. If twins were born, then one twin would be left in the woods to die. When the remaining twin reached puberty, it was a cause for celebration by the tribe because he was believed to have a spiritual double to protect him; one who “scatters the bones.”

“This would shed light on the M.O.,” Evelyn says.

“Except for one thing,” Paul points out, “Travis doesn’t have a twin.” She wonders aloud if it was possible that Travis’s twin was given up for adoption. Paul tells them the story about Jimmy in the reform school. He thought it was made up, but it might be an explanation. Evelyn plans to ask Travis’ out-of-county aunt, while Alva plans to visit the reform school. Paul says he’s going to keep an eye on Travis.

At the aunt’s house, she confirms that Travis’ mother was going to have twins. She further tells that the sheriff used to beat up Travis’ mother. He went too far one night and she miscarried one of the babies, burying him in the woods and was never the same again. When she later gave birth to Travis, she died. But not before swearing her sister never to tell anyone what Prescott had done to her. The Aunt says she kept quiet not out of any respect, but out of fear of Ed Prescott.

She recalls a time where she saw Ed and Travis in a store when Travis was about 5, and the young boy’s arm was in a sling. She next took Ed to court, and lost. It was her word against the sheriff’s, and Travis wouldn’t answer the social worker’s questions. She’s upset that Travis loves his father so much. She silently wishes Prescott dead. “I hear a sheriff’s funeral can be really beautiful,” she says.

Back at the cabin, Travis can be heard talking with another person, his friend Jimmy. This person tells Travis that he’s going to one day get bigger and stronger, but the sheriff will never let him get big enough to beat him. “He will kill you first,” Jimmy says.

”He wouldn’t do that. He’s my dad.”

Jimmy tells him that not one person in that town will ever stand up for Travis. Travis asks if Jimmy had anything to do with the minister and those others. “Don’t you worry about that,” Jimmy smiles. “They got what they deserved.” Paul’s footsteps approach. The boys can hear him. Paul heads towards the cabin, but feels a presence and sees Jimmy leap directly over him running in the opposite direction.

Paul goes inside and asks Travis about Jimmy. Travis is hiding in a corner. When he turns around, Paul can see the pills that Travis was going to kill himself with. Travis says he has to end this, because he was born bad. He killed his mother. “I killed her, okay?!”

“Why would you think that?” Paul asks.

“My father told me, that she wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for me,” Travis is weeping.

Paul tells him the sheriff is WRONG, and is telling Travis this to excuse what he does to him, and what he did to Travis’s mother. Paul walks him outside, and tells him that the sheriff will never lay another hand on him. His cell phone rings, and Alva is on the other end, explaining that there is no reform school in the neighboring town, and that Jimmy is not real. Jimmy is Travis’ spirit protector, the ghost of his dead fraternal twin. Jimmy was killed by Prescott. “Wouldn’t that have killed Travis too?” Paul asks. Alva explains that it is possible for the remaining twin to survive because fraternal twins have different amniotic sacs. According to Alva, Jimmy is killing those that have failed to protect Travis: the nurse, the minister, the guidance counselor, and possibly others. Paul wonders why then hasn’t Jimmy killed the sheriff.

”I’m not sure, but I think Travis is somehow preventing it,” Keel says. Paul tells Alva where he is with Travis, and Alva and Evelyn will meet up with him at Child Services. He hangs up. Paul turns around and is whacked in the gut by the sheriff.

Later at Child Services, Evelyn and Alva have found no sign of Paul. Paul is inside a jail cell, where the sheriff has him locked up. Paul insists that the sheriff must apologize for telling Travis it’s his fault his mother died. The sheriff takes offense at this, and is bracing for a fight. Paul tells him of the pattern of these murders; that they were all people who could’ve protected Travis. “From whom?” asks the sheriff. Then he realizes that Paul is talking about him. Paul tells him to reveal the truth about everything to Travis, including what happened to his brother. Prescott pulls out a GUN, and is about ready to kill Paul. Travis intercedes, but is thrown back by the sheriff, and is knocked unconscious. The sheriff tries to wake Travis, but he is stunned. The door flies open, and Jimmy stands in the doorway. He looks dirty and rotten. The sheriff demands to know who he is. “Nobody,” is his reply.

“I went after the others, but I could never go after you. He loved you too much, I had to respect that.” Jimmy advances on the sheriff.

“You don’t have to do this,” Paul tells Jimmy.

“I’m done respecting that,” he tells the sheriff. Then he disappears.

Alva and Evelyn walk into the room. “What just happened?” the sheriff asks.

“Try and get out!” Alva screams. Just as they enter the room, the sheriff is thrown off his feet and into the wall. Then, he is picked up and thrown again and again, until he is held up against the bars of Paul’s holding cell. An unseen Jimmy forces the sheriff’s head and body as far between the bars as physics would allow, breaking all sorts of bones, and finally killing him.

Jimmy reappears at his body, looks at Paul, and then walks over to Travis. He takes off the bracelet of stolen bones from his wrist. “You stood up for him,” Jimmy tells Paul. “Thank you.” He vanishes again, probably for good.

One week later, Paul takes Travis to his aunt’s house. Standing outside, he tells Travis that although he may not believe it, he’s been orphaned, just as Travis is now. “You know your aunt very well?” Paul asks.

“Kinda.”

“Yeah, she seems nice.”

Paul tells him he won’t go through this alone, and gives Travis his card, telling him to call anytime, day or night. Travis’s aunt walks outside, and greets her nephew, telling him that everything is going to be okay. She asks where he got his bracelet. “A friend,” Travis tells her. The Aunt tells him that his mother had one just like it. “She was buried with it,” she says. She cries and hugs her dead sister’s son. Paul turns and walks away.