In a small Midwestern town, teenager John Wayne Cleaver battles his sociopathic tendencies and obsession with death. Despite frequenting the local morgue managed by his mother and undergoing therapy, John struggles to maintain his moral compass. When a string of gruesome murders shatters the tranquility of his close-knit community, John's curiosity and darker inclinations drive him to investigate. Armed with keen observation skills and an understanding of criminal behavior, he starts to uncover unsettling clues that lead him to suspect someone he knows.

As he delves deeper into the mystery, John finds himself torn between his fear of becoming a killer and his intense desire to stop the murderer. The search for the truth puts him in increasingly dangerous situations, challenging his self-control and forcing him to confront his own nature. The closer John gets to unraveling the identity of the killer, the more he must grapple with the demons within himself and the reality of the evil lurking in his town.