Kurozu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted by uzumaki - the spiral - the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests in everything from seashells, to the voice from the cochlea in your inner ear, pulling the inhabitants of Kurozu-cho ever deeper into madness.

As events unfold, giant snails are sighted near the high school, an eerie glow shines from the abandoned lighthouse, mosquitoes seeking blood fly in drowsy circles, and babies seek to return to the womb. The very smoke from the crematorium hangs in an ominous spiral over the town, reminding everyone that even in death there is no escape...

With their town devastated by titanic hurricanes, the citizens of the spiral-haunted town of Kurozu-cho - including Shuichi, Kirie, and her family - find themselves cut off from the outside world. Reporters and rescue teams cross the mountain range into Kurozu-cho only to find themselves unable to leave.