After an accident costs him an arm, Edgar Freemantle decides to move to Duma Key, hoping to find solace in a pastime he used to enjoy when he was younger-painting. He soon discovers, however, that his talent is a lot more powerful than he remembered. What he paints eerily changes the world around him. What's more, when he paints things out, they disappear. Even people. As he grapples with his newfound abilities, he realizes that they're somehow tied to Elizabeth-his elderly landlady-and when the ghosts of her past begin to appear, the truth about his talent becomes terrifyingly clear....