 Mystery writer Kenneth Magee (Phillip Terry) bets a friend that he can complete his newest book in the quiet of Baldpate, a remote, shuttered inn isolated by New England snows. His friend sends Mary Jordan (Jacqueline White) there with orders to keep Magee from winning the bet, and she begins by stealing his manuscript. Magee believes he has the only key to Baldpate but a sinister-looking man named Gargan (Eduardo Ciannelli), claiming to be the caretaker, also has a key. Mary also has one, but Hermy the Hermit (Jimmy Conlin) doesn t need one as he uses a drain-pipe next to a window. While Magee endeavors to complete his novel, other mysterious people, including Connie Lane (Margaret Lindsay), come and go, each with their own key. He thinks it is all part of his friend s prank, until various people are killed, bodies disappear and reappear, and he actually touches some real blood.