Set in Tokyo, the story follows Karen Davis (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), an American nurse who encounters a curse that is born when someone dies in a powerful rage. This curse manifests as a vengeful spirit and spreads to anyone who comes in contact with it.

The curse centers around a house where a woman named Kayako was murdered by her jealous husband, after discovering her obsession with another man. The spirit of Kayako, along with her son Toshio and the cat Mar, haunt anyone who enters the house—causing terrifying and fatal consequences.

As Karen investigates the mysterious events surrounding the cursed house, she tries to break the cycle before it consumes her too.