A private river barge, furnished like a salon, becomes a meeting place for people who have survived the kind of trouble no one believes. A rich host brings them aboard and demands discretion, certain their odd histories share a hidden source.

One by one, guests tell what happened to them: violent crimes, sudden disappearances, and brushings with the uncanny-vampire rumors, strange rebirth claims, and a jewel that seems to carry bad luck. Every account feels like a separate case, yet small details echo across the stories.

As the nights pass, the links tighten. Clues cross from one tale to the next, pushing the group toward a single explanation, and a final reckoning for whoever set the pattern in motion.