Daughter wakes from a nightmare in which a group of girls are chasing after her shadow. Her mother comforts her back to sleep. Over the following days Mother's behavior becomes increasingly erratic in response to signs of daughters burgeoning sexual maturity and desire for independence. Pan, an elf-like intruder, appears one evening in Daughter's bedroom and seduces her. During their second encounter, both of their shadows separate from their bodies, terrifying Daughter. Mother scolds Daughter for losing her shadow and violently re-attaches it to her. The following evening, as Pan and Daughter are making love, Mother intrudes and stabs Pan in the back as he climaxes. Liberated, Daughter walks out of the house the next morning into the daylight - without a shadow.