Lonely young Marie and her father live on a plantation just before the Civil War. Their placid lives are invaded when they rescue a mysterious woman from a carriage wreck, and soon bodies start turning up with holes in their necks...

Henry Jekyll, a shy and unassuming doctor, is obsessed with the idea of separating the good from the evil. Attracted to Rebecca, daughter of the head teacher of the medical school.

A crusty Old West hermit relates the story of the love of his life, Irene. Before her birth, Irene's family was visited by a mysterious panther, which has followed them through the years, and interferes in the security of her marriage and future.