Ignatius "Ig" Perrish is the prime suspect when his girlfriend, Merrin, is raped and murdered. Despite his declarations of innocence, he is shunned by the community. He stays with his parents and brother, Terry, hiding from the press. After a vigil led by Merrin's father, who believes Ig to be guilty, Ig drinks heavily, urinates on Merrin's memorial, and wakes up with a pair of horns protruding from his head.