The Baxter’s marriage is suffering. Recently, their only child, a young girl, perished in a horrible drowning accident. To put space and time between the tragedy, they decide to move to Venice, Italy. John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) will work supervising the restoration of a very, old church. Laura Baxter (Julie Christie) is left with much time on her hands to explore the historic city and make friends with the neighbors. She finds comfort in visiting with the spinster sisters who live close. Blind sister Heather (Hilary Mason) claims to be psychic. She tells Laura that contact has been made with her dead daughter. Laura becomes enthralled with the idea of communicating with her child but John is totally opposed to this new fascination his wife has with the paranormal. John is further troubled by fleeting glimpses he has of a young girl covered in a red cloak, much like his young daughter used to wear. To complicate matters, there is a serial killer on the loose. Are the two incidents connected?