Created by John Griffin and executive produced by the Russo brothers, From season 1 premiered on February 20, 2022, establishing itself as one of MGM+‘s (formerly Epix) signature series. Set against the backdrop of rural Nova Scotia, this science fiction horror hybrid follows residents trapped in a nameless American town that functions as both prison and predator. The series has garnered critical acclaim for its atmospheric worldbuilding and Harold Perrineau’s commanding performance as Sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau)—a former military veteran whose nightly rituals have become the thin line between survival and slaughter.
The show distinguishes itself through its dual community structure – dividing survivors between the Township and the communal Colony House, creating social tensions that mirror the external threat. As residents contend with shape-shifting monsters who hunt exclusively at night, they must also navigate the psychological horrors of isolation and the growing suspicion that the town itself might be sentient. The series’ opening theme, a haunting Pixies cover of Que Sera, Sera, perfectly encapsulates the fatalistic atmosphere that permeates this enigmatic pocket universe.
Arrival and Night Terrors
From season 1 begins in a mysterious small town where Sheriff Boyd Stevens walks the streets ringing a bell each evening, signaling residents to return home before dark. The townspeople place mysterious talismans at their doorways to ward off shape-shifting monsters that hunt at night. One night, Frank Pratt (Bob Mann), a drunk resident, fails to make it home in time. His wife Lauren (Ann Doyle) secures their windows while their daughter Meagan (Isabella May Martin) encounters an old woman claiming to be her grandmother. Megan opens the window, allowing the monsters to enter.
By morning, Sheriff Boyd finds Frank’s wife and daughter brutally killed due to the breach. Meanwhile, the Matthews family—Jim (Eion Bailey), Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), and their children Julie (Hannah Cheramy) and Ethan (Simon Webster)—are traveling cross-country in their RV when they encounter a fallen tree blocking the road. A detour leads them into the eerie town, where they find themselves trapped in a loop: no matter which direction they drive, they always return to the same place.
Sheriff Boyd advises Jim on how to leave, but every attempt fails. Frustrated, Jim drives in the opposite direction, leading to a collision with another vehicle that flips their RV. Sheriff Boyd and Deputy Kenny Liu (Ricky He) rush to the crash site as darkness approaches. At the scene, Boyd finds the other driver intoxicated and Ethan critically injured with his leg impaled. The town’s doctor Kristi Miller (Chloe Van Landschoot) arrives with Father Rudra Khatri (Shaun Majumder) and Boyd’s son Ellis (Corteon Moore) to assist.
They manage to free Tabitha and Julie but cannot extract Ethan from the RV before nightfall. Boyd decides to split up for safety: Kenny leads some survivors back to Colony House on foot after forgetting about spike strips on the road, barely reaching safety before dark. Meanwhile, Boyd stays in the RV with Jim, Ethan, and Kristi as she works on stabilizing Ethan’s condition. As night falls, Boyd warns Jim about the monsters outside—they can mimic human voices but cannot enter unless invited or if talismans are removed.
At Colony House, Donna Raines (Elizabeth Saunders), the leader, implements strict first-night protocols for newcomers. Tabitha and Julie are separated and confined along with Jade Herrera (David Alpay), the unconscious passenger from the other car. Donna explains that everyone in town is trapped by an unknown force and haunted nightly by monsters who kill for sport. She reveals that Boyd discovered talismans that protect enclosed spaces from these creatures.
At the clinic, Sara Myers (Avery Konrad) is caring for Tobey McCray (Colby Conrad)—the drunk driver who caused the accident—when she begins hearing voices instructing her to kill him and open the door for the monsters. She complies, resulting in Toby’s death and allowing monsters to enter. The next morning, Kenny discovers his father among those killed at the clinic.
As the day breaks, the Matthews family is reunited and goes to the Colony House, where Ethan notices a mysterious boy in white outside his window. Meanwhile, Kenny reaches the clinic to find its door open, discovering his father and others killed by the monsters. Father Khatri takes Jim and Tabitha on a tour of the town, explaining the upcoming ritual called “Choosing Day,” where newcomers decide between living communally at the Colony House or moving to a private townhouse.
Rules and Difficult Choices
During their tour, they come across a strange structure that Father Khatri identifies as their only form of punishment—a box where offenders are confined overnight and left vulnerable to the monsters. The box is intended as a deterrent but has never been used before. Frank, consumed by grief over his family’s death due to his negligence, voluntarily enters it despite Boyd’s attempts to spare him.
Donna explains the situation to a now-conscious Jade, but the wealthy software developer dismisses it as an elaborate escape room arranged by his friend Toby. Elsewhere, Ethan interacts with Victor Kavanaugh (Scott McCord), who tells him that he believes the trees are moving closer to the house. Victor becomes intrigued when Ethan mentions seeing the boy in white. At the Choosing Day ceremony, Julie rebels against her parents by electing to stay in the Colony House rather than join her family in a townhouse.
Jade, still convinced everything is a prank, causes a scene until Kenny takes him to visit Toby’s grave as proof of their reality before offering him shelter at his house. That night, Frank is confined in the punishment box and killed by the monsters. Jim takes Ethan to the town diner where Victor shows him a drawing of a boy whom Ethan confirms is the same one he saw. It is revealed that Victor arrived in the town as a young child and was found surrounded by residents’ corpses while the boy in white invited him to play. Jim, disturbed by Victor’s interaction with his son, angrily warns him never to approach Ethan again.
At Colony House, Julie begins to regret her decision when she learns about communal living arrangements but finds comfort in her growing friendship with Fatima Hassan (Pegah Ghafoori). When Tabitha visits Julie at Colony House, they argue, with Julie revealing she knows her parents are separating. It is revealed that Jim and Tabitha lost a baby boy, which caused their marriage to strain. After returning home and arguing with Jim, Tabitha discovers that Victor has taken Ethan into the woods to search for the mysterious boy in white.
Victor shows Ethan what he calls the “faraway tree,” claiming it can teleport objects or people to random locations. Jim and Tabitha frantically search for their son and are surrounded by wild dogs until Victor appears with a gun and scares them off, reuniting them with Ethan. Later, as they sit with Boyd to learn more about the town’s mysteries, Sara begins hearing voices again—this time commanding her to kill Ethan—which triggers a seizure. After recovering at the clinic, Sara decides to stay there overnight for everyone’s safety.
The Matthews family becomes determined to understand their situation and begins documenting their questions on their home’s walls. They uncover several bizarre phenomena: chickens and farm animals mysteriously appear at the town’s edge, and electrical equipment functions without any visible wiring or power source. Meanwhile, Victor ominously digs graves outside Colony House and tells Donna they need to prepare for what’s coming.
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Dangerous Investigations Begin
Kenny shows Jade that the town has no fixed physical location, evidenced by vehicles with license plates from across the country, all heading to different destinations before arriving in the town. During their conversation, the radio emits static, which Jade takes with him for further investigation. Meanwhile, at the clinic, Sara asks Kristi if she would commit one terrible act if it meant everyone could go home. Kristi, missing her fiancee, admits she might if it guaranteed their escape.
Later, Sara visits the Matthews’ house and convinces Ethan to go with her to the farm. Feeling guilty about Sara’s behavior, her brother Nathan confesses everything to Father Khatri and realizes Sara has taken Ethan to the farm. At the farm, Sara locks Tabitha in a barn and attempts to harm Ethan. Nathan intervenes, and in the ensuing struggle, Sara accidentally kills him while Ethan escapes and is found by Julie.
Father Khatri arrives at the farm as Sara kills her brother. When other townsfolk arrive, Khatri tells them that Sara escaped into the woods. Boyd assures Jim that if Sara returns, she will be put in the punishment box. However, in reality, Father Khatri secretly holds Sara captive in a cellar. He reveals that Nathan confessed everything about Sara’s voices before his death. Khatri theorizes that the townsfolk are being tested by God to create a new 74th book of the Bible beyond its current 73 books. To prove her voices are real, he asks Sara for evidence. The voices guide her to draw a bag that Khatri buried when he first arrived—something no one else could know about.
Elsewhere, Jade enlists Jim’s help to repair the radio in hopes of receiving a signal. They strip parts from Jade’s arrival car, and Jim climbs a tree for better reception. While working on the radio, Jade begins hallucinating about being pursued by a Civil War-era soldier and notices a strange symbol carved into a tree. Despite his panic, Jim successfully tests the radio but only receives static. Later, when Jade draws the symbol he saw on the tree, Kenny’s mother Tian-Chen (Elizabeth Moy) recognizes it from a discarded notebook left by previous town arrivals. The notebook contains similar drawings, suggesting others have encountered these symbols before.
Tabitha discovers a bracelet among Frank’s family belongings that deeply disturbs her. Returning home, she begins digging a hole in their basement to trace the source of mysterious power lines supplying electricity to their house. The bracelet is revealed to be one she made for Jim years ago but thought was lost when Julie was born. Meanwhile, Boyd confides in Kenny about his hand tremors caused by early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Determined to find an escape before his condition worsens, Boyd decides to venture deep into the forest on foot. Kenny becomes upset at what he sees as a suicide mission but reluctantly agrees after Boyd explains his urgency.
At Colony House, Kevin develops romantic feelings for one of the monsters outside and begins conversing with it regularly. Jim informs Jade that while they received static on the radio, they need a larger antenna tower to transmit signals further. He also helps Tabitha continue digging in search of answers about their situation. Father Khatri confides in Boyd about holding Sara captive and reveals his belief that her voices might help them find an escape route. He proposes taking Sara along on Boyd’s expedition into the forest. Meanwhile, Jade discovers an old photograph in the discarded notebook showing Victor as a young boy in the background—evidence that Victor has been in the town far longer than anyone realized.
Massacre and Escape
Back at the Colony House, residents celebrate the first anniversary of Fatima’s arrival in town. During the party, Fatima kisses another resident, causing both Ellis and Julie to become jealous. The celebration abruptly ends when Kevin (Christopher Hayes), manipulated by a monster outside his window, invites it inside. The creature kills him and leaves the window open, allowing more monsters to enter and massacre many residents. Donna manages to evacuate some survivors in a van, while Ellis and Fatima barricade themselves in the foyer with a talisman for protection.
Meanwhile, Victor helps Julie escape by following the mysterious boy in white into the woods. He instructs her to enter a “faraway tree,” which transports her to a root cellar in another location. Donna reaches the sheriff’s station with the survivors just as a monster kills Father Khatri. As morning arrives, Boyd, honoring Father Khatri’s final wishes, releases Sara from captivity and decides they will venture into the woods together. Before departing, Fatima encourages Ellis to reconcile with his father while he still can.
A flashback reveals how Boyd, his wife Abby (Lisa Ryder), and their son Ellis first arrived in town just before nightfall. Father Khatri helped them reach a concealed cellar where they survived their first night. The next morning, Khatri and Donna explained the town’s reality to them. Boyd, a retired military officer, assumed leadership of the community by organizing resources and exploring the surrounding woods.
As Boyd’s responsibilities grew, he spent less time with his family. Ellis informed him that Abby’s mental health was deteriorating, but Boyd assured him he would return before nightfall. However, Boyd became lost in the woods and took refuge in a cave surrounded by monsters, where he discovered the magical protective talismans. Upon returning to town the next morning, Boyd found Abby shooting townspeople, convinced she was trapped in a nightmare. When she aimed at Ellis, Boyd was forced to shoot and kill her—a traumatic event that fractured their family.
In the present day, Ellis reconciles with his father before Boyd’s expedition. Kenny assumes the role of sheriff while Jade searches unsuccessfully for Victor. Jim and Jade present their plan to build a radio tower to the townspeople, who eagerly help construct it on Colony House’s roof—the highest point in town. Although they scavenge most of the necessary materials, they struggle to power the transmitter until Tian-Chen suggests using Colony House’s electricity supply.
Beyond the Town Limits
Boyd and Sara reach the cave where he first discovered the talismans—farther than anyone has ventured from town before. Continuing deeper into the woods, they discover a tree with small bottles hanging from its branches. When Boyd reaches for one, Sara suffers another seizure. When Sara regains consciousness, she finds herself in a tent with Boyd as they prepare to spend the night in the forest. Boyd reveals that one of the bottles contained scraps of paper dating back to 1864.
Sara explains that during her seizure she heard a new female voice warning that Boyd’s plan is a mistake—there are worse things in the forest than monsters. Most disturbingly, this voice addressed Boyd using a nickname only his deceased wife Abby had used. Before they can process this revelation, their tent is attacked by an unseen force. When the assault ceases, an intense light illuminates their tent from outside as they hear a loud horn sound.
Back in town, with power secured for the radio tower, construction is completed just before nightfall. Ellis proposes to Fatima, who accepts, while Kenny makes an advance on Kristi; however, she gently declines because she is already engaged. The next morning, Boyd and Sara emerge from their tent into an area of forest covered in spiderwebs. Boyd is bitten by a spider and becomes delirious but continues forward with Sara’s help.
In town, Jim activates the radio tower just as a storm approaches and successfully makes contact—but is shocked when a voice responds by addressing him by name and warning that “Tabitha should not be digging.” Alarmed by this message, Jim rushes home. Meanwhile, Tabitha continues digging in her basement until the floor collapses beneath her into an underground cave system where she encounters Victor. He warns her that they are now inside the monsters’ lair and must leave quickly.
Simultaneously, Boyd and Sara discover a lighthouse in the distance. Following instructions from the boy in white, Sara urges Boyd to enter another “faraway tree.” The season ends on multiple cliffhangers: Jim arrives home but cannot find Tabitha; Boyd is transported into a well-like shaft where he becomes trapped; and most mysteriously of all, a bus arrives at the town’s diner—suggesting new arrivals are about to join this nightmarish cycle.
