A balloon traveling into the face of the wind isn't much of a clue to launch an investigation into a toddler's death, but, on their arrival, a series of bizarre events convinces Scully they're dealing with a rare form of child abuse. For his part, Mulder thinks answers may be found with a pair of dead roosters and a group of elderly chanters called the Calusari.

When people start disappearing, and the case is shoved in her general direction, Detective Kelly Ryan, one of Scully's former students, turns to her old teacher for assistance. Mulder's theories, in fact his very presence, become more and more un-welcome as the body count continues to mount in his general vicinity. Mulder's growing disinclination to share his thoughts on the case in the face of Ryan's- and Scully's!-evident skepticism doesn't endear him to the woman, either.