The story follows a confident young man determined to debunk the myths surrounding a reportedly haunted room in Lorraine Castle. Armed with only candles, he enters the red room, convinced that fear is purely psychological. However, as darkness encroaches and his candles begin to extinguish one by one, his skepticism wanes, giving way to an enveloping terror. Wells masterfully explores the shadows that dwell in the corners of the human mind, revealing that sometimes, the greatest fear is fear itself.