Ted Henley and his father operate a floundering family business: The Mt. Vista Motel. It’s just the two of them since Ted’s mother ran off with a guest years earlier, stealing the motel’s soul and one of its last regular patrons. Since then, Ted’s father has drifted into despondency, becoming a living ghost, haunting his own motel and leaving Ted to fend for himself. In his isolation, unchecked by the bounds of parenting, friendship, or affection, Ted fascination with death awakens.