1981. Diagnosed with a debilitating new mystery illness doctors are calling GRID, Andrew bids farewell to his hedonistic life in NYC, reluctantly returning to his estranged parents in the uber-religious suburban enclave of Wheaton, Illinois.

Sick, destitute, and a thousand miles from his West Village circle, Andrew finds himself trapped in a childhood home more strange and sinister than he remembers. His mother, always the center of their family, appears ill as well, sleepwalking the darkened halls, her body covered in unexplained sores and bruises.

His disapproving father disappears for hours into the secluded, picture-perfect Japanese garden behind the house. At night there is a scratching in the walls that may or may not be rats.

. .

When he spies his father with someone in the garden, late at night and half hidden in the stands of bamboo, Andrew begins to investigate. Before long, a series of ominous events convinces him there is something far more dangerous than adultery at play.

Worse, his mother may end up being the next victim. .

. Is this descent into madness merely a symptom of his illness, or does some terrible secret truly lurk between the still, black surface of the koi pond and the walled-off groves of whispering bamboo?.