Everyone is the small town of Udall, Kansas, knows about the F5 tornado that destroyed the town in 1955. They also know about a little girl named Polly Oran who was never found, alive or dead, after the storm. Somehow, Polly is the premise of a tale that becomes more frightening each time it is told. Apparently, Precarious Polly is haunting Udall, taking lives and bringing more destruction to the families she visits.

Richard Magnum III isn't much of a believer in the story until his uncle dies at the Magnum family farm. He sees the evidence that suggests Polly has made an appearance. He tries to find the truth; he even visits the Udall library and talks to Polly's best friend. He learns valuable information, but he still doesn't have the answers he seeks.

Rick grows up, attends college, and becomes a CSI researcher in Seattle, Washington.

After years, an unexpected lead once again motivates him to find the truth. He has a long conversation with the son of a rather strange family doctor who lived and practiced in Udall in the 1950s and 1960s. Does he learn the truth about Precarious Polly? What else does he learn? Has the curse of Precarious Polly followed Rick to the Pacific Northwest, or is the truth the tall tale he always figured it to be?