 When a young violinist witnesses his own mother s brutal murder, he is sent to live with his father and grandfather in the deep swamp. There he encounters a nightmare world of abuse and folklore. His grandfather tells him the tale of the Gatorman, a creature that prays on children who cry or disobey. The boy uses his music to escape the horrible reality around him and eventually comes to realize that every story, event, even the story of the Gatorman, has a little bit of truth to it.