Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son Aidan (David Dorfman) have relocated to the quaint mountain town of Asheville, where Rachel has found a new job at the local Asheville Gazette, working alongside reporter David Rourke (Simon Baker). The discovery of a local teenage homicide whilst scanning the electronic Asheville Police archives prompts Rachel to uncover the truth behind it. Before long, Rachel has linked the homicide to the mysterious video tape. Just when Rachel is within reach of uncovering the secret, she discovers that Aidan has been hospitalized - unconcious, perilously cold, and bruised. Rachel suspects this is the act of Samara Morgan, but Dr Emma Temple (Sissy Spacek) suspects otherwise.Having being blamed for child abuse and looking guilty as sin, Rachel returns to Seattle, to dig deeper into the past of the ghostly Samara. Will the secrets she uncovers solve problems, or will they end more lives?