Nan Adams first appears when her vehicle goes off the road of a Pennsylvania Turnpike after a bad accident. A mechanic puts a spare tire on her car and directs her to the nearest town to fix it properly. Just before she leaves, Nan looks across the road and sees a man hitchhiking that wasn't there before. Unnerved, she drives away quickly. As she continues her trip, Nan sees the same hitchhiker thumbing for a ride at several other points on her journey. She becomes increasingly frightened of him, and when she is stuck on a railroad crossing and nearly hit by a train, she becomes convinced that the hitchhiker is trying to kill her. She continues to drive, becoming more and more afraid, stopping only when necessary; but every time she does, the same hitchhiker is there.