Ayia’s and Mirra’s mother have fallen victim to a plague that came to a small Russian town. The sisters are in a state of despair. The doctor's advice to quarantine and the priests offer of prayer is of little use to the sisters and only angers Mirra. After the mother dies, Mirra develops symptoms of the mysterious plague. Ayia carries Mirra to the home of a priest. In her boredom, she finds a book that talks of a ritual that can cure sickness.
The priest explains the ritual is one that requires Ayia to enter into the subconscious of her sister to identify and kill Mirra's greatest fears. These fears, the priest explains, are the cause of Mirra’s sickness. Is this not unlike dark ages medicine where demon’s are thought to possess the sick?
What this means is that Mirras’s psychological burdens are responsible for her succumbing to the plague. Ayia’s journey leads her to find three great fears hidden in the darkest pits of Mirra’s mind. She blames herself for her mother's …
