Following the divorce of his parents, David, the young, first-person narrator, moves with his mother to the Penobscot Reservation. While playing with action figures, David discovers a jar full of hair, corn, and teeth in their new house. David’s mother calls on Frick, a local medicine man, to properly dispose of the jar, which she believes is bad medicine being used to curse their house. Frick performs the necessary rituals, and soon thereafter has moved into their house and begun a relationship with David’s mother.

David’s mother’s fears about the jar taper off when Paige, David’s older sister, comes to visit. Paige reveals that she is pregnant, a development that enrages their mother. David’s mother’s concerns about the jar are reignited when, one night, Paige feels herself getting bitten by an invisible presence. Frick attends to Paige, but it’s unclear what, if anything, attacked her.

Months later, David’s mother picks him up early from staying at a friend’s house. She doesn’t explain why. She takes David home, and David notices that Paige is sitting on the couch looking dazed. David’s mother asks her, “Where is it?” (30), and Paige motions to the bathroom. David overhears Frick in the bathroom telling his mother that they need a container that won’t leak.