The story takes place on Halloween in 1969, following 21-year-old New England college student Alan Parker (Jackson). Distraught that his girlfriend (Christensen) has broken up with him, he attempts suicide but fails and then learns that his beloved mother (Hershey) has had a stroke. Hitchhiking through rural Maine to visit her bedside, the young man is picked up by a mysterious driver (Arquette) who carries his own haunting secrets.

The movie is based on Stephen King's novella which was first released as an e-book (PDF file) on the internet, 14th of March 2000 by Philtrum Press and Simon & Schuster. Mick Garris has worked with King in the past, directing both Sleepwalkers (1992) and The Stand (1994).