Graham, who works in corporate, texts Camille to say he will be late for dinner, so she decides to walk in the large wheat field behind their new house. Carrying a penny, Camille reflects on her late mother’s advice to always smile. She also recalls her whirlwind romance and marriage to Graham, which inspired her to become a “trad wife” influencer.

Near the forest at the edge of the property, Camille visits an old well she discovered a week prior. She makes a wish for a baby and drops the penny inside but hears no splash. Instead, a strange, cool breeze rises from the well’s opening. As she peers into the darkness, she sees it shift and swirl and hears a scraping sound from within.

A text from Graham breaks her out of a trance-like state, and she realizes the sun has set and a significant amount of time has passed. Worried she has burned the dinner she was roasting, she runs back to the house.

After throwing out the burnt pork roast, Camille prepares a simple pasta salad. While waiting for Graham, she scrolls through the social media of Mara Shoemaker, her favorite influencer, who embodies the perfect “trad wife” with eight children.

When Graham arrives home, he is distant. Camille shows him Mara’s profile and expresses her desire for a similar life. She suggests they try for a baby, but Graham claims he is too exhausted. He rejects the dinner she made and asks her to leave him alone to watch TV.

Later, Camille goes to their bedroom and looks at a selfie she took by the well earlier. As she zooms in on the background, she is disturbed to see what looks like a long, dark arm reaching out from the mouth of the well.

Camille convinces herself the arm-like shape in the photo was a trick of the light and deletes the image. That night, Graham comes to bed after a few drinks and falls asleep immediately. Camille secretly reads a science book titled The Flesh of Fear. She then experiences a terrifying sleep-paralysis nightmare in which a giant, winged eye appears on the ceiling.

In the dream, a disembodied voice repeatedly asks her why she wants a baby. She mentally confesses that she wants someone to care for who won’t leave her, to secure her marriage with Graham, and to create content for her online brand. The voice then declares, “You shall have a baby” (30). Camille sees the penny in the center of the eye’s pupil. A drop of liquid falls from the eye, waking Camille with a jolt of pain. The glass of water on her nightstand tastes and smells like blood, but when she turns on the light, it appears to be clear water.

The next morning, Camille resolves to act as though everything is normal. After Graham leaves for work, Camille posts a photo of flowers on social media, pretending he bought them for her. The post receives numerous comments from followers asking when she will have a baby.

Later, Camille’s new neighbor, Renee Colt, arrives with a homemade apple pie as a welcoming gift. Renee is a cheerful and talkative stay-at-home mother. During their conversation, Camille hallucinates blood dripping from Renee’s mouth. Renee seems unsettled when Camille mentions the monthly “allowance” she gets from Graham and describes how he persuaded her to quit her job as a floral shop supplier. As Renee leaves, she gives Camille a warning to stay away from the woods bordering their property, claiming they may be unsafe and full of wildlife.

Camille is in the kitchen when the doorbell rings. Through the frosted glass of the front door, she sees a strange, distorted human silhouette. Frightened, she looks through the peephole to find the porch empty. Immediately after, she hears the sliding glass door at the back of the house open and close.

A musty, earthy smell fills the home, and she hears heavy footsteps moving through the living room toward the kitchen. When she forces herself to look, the room is empty and undisturbed. Convinced that stress and lack of sleep are causing her to hallucinate, she ignores the lingering smell and other strange noises in the house and distracts herself by watching influencer videos on her phone.

For a week, Camille is plagued by nightly dreams of the winged eye and strange occurrences during the day. She recalls Graham once telling her that biblical angels can take bizarre and terrifying forms. After researching the topic, she begins to believe the presence is an angel sent in response to her wish at the well. She makes attempts to be intimate with Graham, but is immediately rebuffed.

Camille returns to the well and lowers a bucket into it. An unseen force yanks the rope, and the bucket is torn off. Deciding to stop questioning the phenomenon, she accepts it as divine intervention. That evening, she goes upstairs to find a creature in her bedroom: It is humanoid but has gray-green skin, small horns, white eyes, and large, bat-like wings. The sight terrifies her, and she faints.

Camille awakens in Graham’s arms; he found her unconscious on the floor. He wants to take her to a hospital, but she refuses, blaming low blood sugar and secretly fearing doctors will diagnose her with a mental illness. Graham accepts her explanation. Camille notices that he smells of a strange floral perfume.

That night, the eye appears in Camille’s dreams again, its voice angry that she was frightened by its physical arrival. She wakes in the middle of the night to find Graham gone. A text from him claims he is staying at a friend’s house. Feeling abandoned, Camille suspects he is having an affair. Overcome with desperation and resentment, she decides the creature is the angel from her dreams, sent to give her the baby Graham will not.

The creature reappears in the bedroom. Fueled by her anger at Graham’s suspected infidelity, Camille decides this is her destiny. She asks the creature if it is an angel sent to help her conceive, and it steps forward in response. Taking this as confirmation, she makes a silent vow: If Graham does not text her in the next minute, she will proceed. He does not.

Camille undresses and initiates a sexual encounter with the creature. The experience is intensely pleasurable, and the creature’s leathery wings envelop them both. Afterward, she feels the creature’s seed inside her and is sure she will now have a baby. The creature then vanishes, and as she looks out the window, Camille sees a dark figure disappear into the wheat field.

Graham returns the following evening, and Camille pretends nothing is wrong. The next morning, after Graham leaves for an early golf game, Camille is overcome with severe nausea and vomits a large amount of dark, coagulated blood. Afterward, she is shocked to discover she has a pronounced baby bump that was not there before, and she feels the baby kick forcefully. Three pregnancy tests confirm she is pregnant. Realizing the pregnancy’s impossible speed means the child came from the creature, she decides to tell Graham it is his and that she is simply further along than she realized.

That evening, she stages a romantic dinner and sets up her phone to record Graham’s reaction. He arrives home late and is initially irritated by the elaborate setup. When she tells him the news, his face briefly falls into a look of dismay before he forces a celebratory smile. He remains emotionally distant. To avoid seeing a real doctor, Camille lies that their new neighbor, Renee, is a midwife who can assist with the birth. Graham readily agrees.

Camille posts an edited video of Graham’s reaction, which goes viral in her online community. Her influencer idol, Mara Shoemaker, likes the post. Camille then sees Mara’s new post advising against taking folic acid during pregnancy. When Camille messages her for clarification, Mara warns that such additives are dangerous. Ignoring her own scientific knowledge that folic acid is important for women during pregnancy, Camille vows to follow Mara’s advice. The baby clenches inside her, causing a spasm of pain.

When Camille shows Graham her baby bump, his reaction is tender yet distant. They call their families to share the news, and Graham’s mother insists on proper medical care. After the calls, Graham tells Camille they can rely on their “midwife.” He then pressures Camille to call Renee, forcing her to arrange a meeting for the next day. Afterward, Graham announces he is going to drive around to find a new church, leaving Camille alone again. She overhears him making a hushed phone call in the locked bathroom before he leaves, confirming her suspicion that he is having an affair.