Adapted from the short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, this modern horror story takes place in Seattle where an Art student at Cornish College of the Arts named Adam is commissioned by a local church to create a mural of Hell. The mural takes its toll on Adam and he begins to obsess over it, spending long periods of time staring into the blank canvas. Tormented by inner and outer demons he resorts to abducting students with the help of an accomplice named Gabe. Together they devise a system of kidnapping students, torturing them to capture the true essence of agony and fear.