In 1943, revolutionary inventor Nikola Tesla died penniless in the New Yorker Hotel. Within 24 hours the U.S. government seized everything in his room. But one design was already missing. Seventy years later in Buffalo, NY, a brilliant young engineer has
查理·克勞(達拉斯·羅伯茨 Dallas Roberts 飾)是一檔電臺深夜節目的主持人,長久以來他的事業和生活水平持續走低,節目收聽率不升反降,面臨被砍掉的危險;生活上他業已離異,與前妻、兒子的關係勢同水火。某晚,查理接聽了名叫傑夫的17歲少年的電話,少年聲稱正被神秘的影子人所困擾,精神幾近崩潰,此後還給查理寄送了相關醫學實驗的資料。雖然查理將其當作少年無聊的惡作劇,但是傑夫在連線過程中舉槍自殺還是在社會上引起了不小的震動。蒙受公眾作秀指責的查理,為了挽救收聽率不得不按照製作人的指示對此事進行跟蹤調查。