Martha (Maren Jensen) and Jim Schmidt (Douglas Barr) live on an isolated farm named 'Our Blessing', where most of its population are "Hittites", an austere religious community who, according to one of the characters, "make the Amish look like swingers". Jim was a Hittite, but left the community when he got married. Jim tells a neighbor, Louisa Stohler (Lois Nettleton), who is the mother of Faith (Lisa Hartman), that his wife, Martha, is pregnant and that Louisa's services as a mid-wife will soon be needed by them. Louisa and Faith are not part of the Hittite community, either. In fact, they do not like them due in part to the constant harassment of Faith by William, who chases her and calls her, and all "outsides", "Incubus." That night, Jim searches in the barn after hearing strange noises from inside, but is murdered when a mysterious figure runs him over with his tractor. This is alleged to be a mechanical accident.