A writer, Jack Torrance, accepts a job as the off-season caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping the tranquil setting will allow him to focus on his writing and reconcile with his family. Jack is warned about the hotel's sinister past, including the previous caretaker's descent into madness and subsequent murder-suicide of his family. Dismissing the stories as superstitious nonsense, Jack moves to the hotel with his wife Wendy and son Danny. Unbeknownst to them, Danny possesses "the shining," a psychic ability that allows him to see the hotel's horrific past. As they settle in, Danny's visions grow increasingly disturbing and the hotel's influence begins to take hold.

Isolation and supernatural forces within the Overlook begin to erode Jack's sanity. As the snowstorm cuts off the hotel from the outside world, Jack's behavior becomes more erratic and violent. Meanwhile, Danny's ability reveals more about the hotel's history, including the presence of specters that haunt its halls. Wendy becomes increasingly concerned about her husband's mental state and their safety, as the hotel's power over Jack strengthens. The family must confront the malevolent forces within the hotel, which seek to consume them just as they did the previous occupants. The tension within the family and the hotel's supernatural occurrences escalate, transforming their winter haven into a nightmarish prison.