Every fifty years, the village offers a girl to the ancient vampire who lives in the castle on the hills. In exchange, he protects the village from the dangers that surround it, keeping the people safe for another generation.

This year, however, the Mayor chooses a girl for a personal reason: she refused to marry him.

Terrified and abandoned at the castle gates, she finally comes face-to-face with the creature from the stories — and realizes he is the same mysterious being she once saw flying above the castle as a child.

The monster everyone fears