A mother and daughter move into an apartment that is haunted by a ghost who manifests itself through dark water. Dahlia and her daughter Ceci move into a new apartment on Roosevelt Island in New York. Dahlia and her ex-husband are fighting over custody of Ceci. Dahlia insists that they live on the island since it is close to a good school, while her ex wants Ceci to live with him since he thinks Dahlia is not fit to take care of their daughter citing instability. Dahlia is a loving mother to Ceci, as they go about their usual routines, they notice that the small black stain on the bedroom ceiling is getting bigger and bigger, and more water is seeping through. They call the attention of the building super, an irate man Veeck who says he'll fix it. Meanwhile, Dahlia, who suffers from frequent migraines, starts seeing strange things. While doing laundry in the basement, she hears a loud banging in the washing machine, and glimpses a little girl in there. She knows she's hallucinating since she is also taking medication for her headaches. Dahlia also hears strange noises from the apartment above, and the sound of running water. When she tells the building manager Mr. Murray, he says that nobody's been living upstairs for awhile. Dahlia checks it out. She goes into the apartment above, and sees it flooded. She also sees pictures of the family who lived there, they had a daughter named Natasha. In school, Ceci's teacher finds out about Ceci's imaginary friend "Natasha." She also behaves oddly, and after having an outburst, she is asked to clean up in the bathroom. Dark water flows from the tap, and Ceci freaks out. Dahlia's ex feels that recent events prove him right in thinking that Dahlia is not a good mother. Dahlia's lawyer also talks her, wondering what's wrong. Dahlia stressed and getting nightmares, is led to the roof of the building to the water tank. There she finds Natasha's corpse, and imagines it pulling her down into the water. Natasha, having a drug addict mother and a father abroad was left to take care of herself, and accidentally fell into the tank when she was playing. Veeck apparently knew that she was dead and didn't do anything about it, cops arrive and arrest him. Having solved the mystery and feeling pressure from her ex, Dahlia agrees to move out to be closer to him. One night, Dahlia draws Ceci a bath, and Ceci is attacked by Natasha who wants to drown her. Dahlia sacrifices herself to Natasha who wants a mother. Dahlia drowns, with the apartment turning black and being taken over by dark water running from all surfaces. Days later, Ceci is now with her dad, but her mother's spirit appears to her saying that she'll be alright. Dahlia now cares for Natasha, doomed to spend a lifetime with her.
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Best part of story, including ending:
For one thing, Roosevelt Island is one intriguing setting, since it's smack in the middle of a river in New York and is isolated, adding to the mystique of the story. Also, Dahlia is a good character, flawed but still very loving.
Best scene in story:
The water tank scene, when Dahlia opens the lid and sees the dead body.
Opinion about the main character:
Dahlia is misread as a bad mother, but she is the exact opposite, giving her life to save Ceci's.
