Evil stirs in Briardark, an ancient forest that looms over the Shyishan village of Felstein, where whispers abound of the spectres and brutes that lurk amongst the trees.

One man keeps these perils at bay - Samuel Helmgaart, the revered beasthunter of Felstein - but when tragedy strikes his family, an unknowable foe is unleashed, one that stalks the villagers and turns neighbour against neighbour.

Soon, a witch hunt ensues, and in the midst of his own sorrow Samuel's daughter, Cicely, struggles with grief that has twisted into something dark. To save her, the beasthunter must track down the entity in the forest, and the evil that beckons to his daughter from beyond a most hostile grave.