Dr. Louis Creed, having just moved to Maine with his wife and two children, is heartbroken when he finds that his daughter's beloved cat has been hit by a truck and killed. Thankfully, a strange, elderly neighbor called Jud knows a secret that may spare the young girl's tears. He takes the dead cat to an ancient Indian burial ground that lies hidden in the surrounding hilltops; and when he buries the feline there, it comes back to life a few days later. But Louis can't be trusted with the secret, and, despite strong warnings that something horrible will happen, he uses the power of the burial ground again...