In a secluded area, away from civilization, James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) arrive at night to James' childhood summer home, returning from a friend's wedding. Tension abounds between the couple, as Kristen rejected James's marriage proposal to her after the reception. James calls his friend Mike (Glenn Howerton) and asks him to pick him up in the morning. Shortly after 4:00 a.m., there is a loud knock at the door. A young blonde woman (Gemma Ward), whose face is obstructed by poor lighting, asks the couple "Is Tamara home?" but is turned away by James. James goes for a drive to purchase a pack of cigarettes for Kristen; before he departs, he starts a fire in the hearth. Kristen realizes the chimney flue is closed, and attempts to open it; smoke emanating from the fire triggers a smoke alarm. Kristen attempts to disarm the alarm when she is startled by another knock at the door and drops the alarm on the floor, unnerved. She calls James' cellphone from the landline, but their call is cut short. Kristen returns to the kitchen, where, unbeknownst to her, a masked man (Kip Weeks)—the Man in the Mask—watches her from an adjacent hallway.