Summaries

Synopsis

In 18th century Elkhart County, Indiana, Liveda Foedirb, 27, is burnt at the stake for witchcraft. The Amish believe she's innocent, but the "English" go forward with the execution. In present day, Rose Paulsen, 18, and her best friend Gabi, 18, hang out with their boyfriends, Bryan, 18, and Marcus, 18. Driving, Bryan runs Isaac, 17, a local Amish boy riding his bike, off the road and into a cornfield. Rose worries, but Bryan drives away. Rose laments her love life with her grandmother, Mary Alice, 75. The teens gather at Witch's Cove, an area purportedly haunted by Liveda. Prankster Zach, 17, suggests a scavenger hunt, and whoever finds the coolest item to bring back from a nearby Amish farm wins. Bryan suggests he and Rose steal a hex sign hanging on the side of Old Man Zook's barn. Zook emerges and chases the teens away, and they scatter. In the chaos, Zach takes the hex sign and runs off into the woods. Lightning and Liveda's voice scare him, and he falls and is trapped in a dry creek bed. Rain starts and swells, and he drowns. Rose goes to a Farmer's Market, where she buys produce from Isaac. He's dressed in regular clothing and is on Rumspringa, when Amish teens are allowed to explore the non-Amish ("English") world. He recognizes Rose from the previous days hit-and-run but is not angry at her. Rose finds out from Isaac that Zach has died. Later, Mary Alice tells Rose and Gabi about the legend associated with Liveda and the of the strange deaths that immediately followed her execution. Elsewhere, Miss Henry, 85, is attacked and killed in her home by spiders, while Liveda is heard chanting in the background. Bryan tells Rose there's a reward for the return of the hex sign they took, and he wants to look for it to collect the reward money. They return to the forest and Rose finds it, but it's broken in half. She takes the broken sign but gets lost, and runs into Isaac. His father Abraham, 54, sees her, and warns her that if the hex sign is not returned, unspeakable danger will follow. Isaac invites her to visit his home, and she extends an invitation to hers. At school, Rose learns that hex signs serve as a powerful talisman of protection. Later, Bryan is driving alone and hears Liveda's voice on the radio. He loses control of the car and goes over a cliff. A distraught Rose goes to Isaac's house, and Isaac's grandfather, Benjamin, 75, tells her the story of Liveda, who was accused of being a witch and whom the Amish tried to protect. Right before she was burned to death, she placed a curse on the English and their ancestors. She precluded the Amish from the curse, who later discover items of witchcraft revealing that Liveda really was a witch. The Amish place a round wooden sign on a barn to remind them always of their guilt for not believing the English and for housing the witch. After the sign is hung the death stop. The English benefit from its protection calling it a hex sign, even though the Amish do not believe in such things. Benjamin surmises that if the sign is returned, perhaps the current deaths will stop. He takes an old worn book from the shelve and shows Rose that her great, great grandfather, Zechariah Paulsen, was the Judge in the trial. Rose goes to a psychic bookshop, where owner, Kyle, 36, tells her he can fix the hex sign. Rose returns home to discover that her grandmother has been killed by a pack of rabid neighborhood dogs. Gabi stays with Rose, but a rabid dog comes in the house, forcing them to hide. Isaac shows up and knocks the dog out, having used his new I-phone to look up Rose's address. She agrees to go with Isaac to the Amish community for protection. On the way, they stop at the bookshop, only to find Kyle dead. His body is covered in pustular lesions from a strange skin disease that is spreading through the non-Amish community. Rose admits to Isaac she took the hex sign, and this is all her fault. Isaac says that it is Liveda's fault, not Rose's. At the farm, they find the Amish community gathered, worried about the effects of the curse. Abraham tells Rose that she is safest there, and they all must pray. Benjamin repairs the broken hex sign. Rose and the elders go about returning the sign to its place. It's a difficult task since townspeople show up and attack the Amish accusing them of causing the deaths and skin lesions. Benjamin is hit with a rock, and police and Paramedics show up. The hex sign is successfully hung again, and everyone feels the threat is over. In the barn where she's staying, Rose is suddenly attacked by vines. Liveda arrives, promising to burn Rose in retribution for her ancestors' actions. Isaac tries to save Rose, and Liveda ends up turning on him. He sacrifices himself to save her. Rose escapes and begs the elders to save Isaac, but they determine he has already chosen to sacrifice himself. Liveda walks from the burning barn dragging Isaac's lifeless body. She insists that the elders hand over Rose, but they won't. Rose tells Liveda that Isaac's love and sacrifice is greater than any evil she can conjure. Rose leans down, kisses Isaac and Liveda dissipates into dust. Later, Rose sells her grandmother's house and goes to live with the Amish, who baptize her and welcome her into their community.