They do things differently on Summerisle. They teach of Christianity in passing, but their own beliefs are more ancient ... the strange, mysterious customs and rituals of distant places and bygone half forgotten days. But Summerisle is no distant South Pacific atoll - it is a small, remote, privately owned, twentieth-century island off the western coast of Scotland. To Summerisle comes Sergeant Howie of the Western Highland Police, investigating the alleged disappearance of twelve-year-old Rowan Morrison. What starts as a routine enquiry becomes a terrifying nightmare for this devout churchgoer.