Henry (Thomas Jane), Beaver (Jason Lee), Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Jonesy (Damian Lewis) are four friends on an annual hunting trip in Maine. As children, they all acquired telepathy which they call "the line". A flashback shows them as they save a mentally handicapped boy named Douglas "Duddits" Cavell (as a boy, Andrew Robb; as an adult, Donnie Wahlberg) from bullies and befriend him. Henry returns to the cabin to find Beaver dead and the worm that killed him now laying a group of eggs. In order to kill all of the alien larvae he sets fire to the cabin.