Investigative reporter Amy Klein (Kari Wuhrer) is sent to Bucharest at the behest of Charles (Simon Kunz), her boss, to investigate the origins of a video tape depicting the ritualistic murder—and subsequent resurrection—of a member of a cult calling themselves "The Deaders". In Bucharest, Amy tracks down the return address of the VHS and discovers the corpse of a girl, named Marla, who had sent the tape holding a puzzle box, the Lament Configuration. Amy returns to her hotel and opens the box which summons Pinhead (Doug Bradley), although this is apparently all a dream. She visits some of the Bucharest subculture on a train where she meets Joey, who warns her about her the Deaders and notices that Amy has a 'self destructive thing'.