It begins with the gift of an ancient bone comb Robert gives his girlfriend, Karen. In the days that follow, Karen's dreams are vivid and strange. She is haunted by images of a red-haired girl who dresses in the costume of a fifteenth-century maid, but who terrifyingly seems to be aware of Karen. Her dreams become darker and wilder until there are times when she finds it hard to distinguish reality from fantasy. Robert becomes aware of changes in Karen. He begins to notice changes in her features, her bone structure, the slant of her eyes, the shape of her teeth. It is only when he discovers the puncture marks in the crook of his arm that he realises what Karen has become – a vampyre!