Synopsis: The novel begins at the Bates Motel, where Mary Crane, on the run after impulsively stealing from her employer, overhears Norman Bates arguing with his mother, who berates him and screams "I'll kill her!" Soon, Mary is dead; Norman finds her corpse and believes his mother killed her, and that he must protect her by disposing of the evidence. Mary's sister, her boyfriend, and a private investigator search for her; one encounters Mrs. Bates and is killed, the others learn that Mrs. Bates has been dead for years. A ghost? No, the killer will turn out to be human.