As five underworld heavies settle in for an all night stay at an abandoned warehouse and former film studio, a series of bizarre and unsettling occurrences quickly lead them to believe they are not alone. It was supposed to be a simple night of babysitting a single hostage, but when a series of numbers began to appear on the walls things soon took a dark turn. Later, after the hostage escapes, the perplexed thugs not only learn that there is a rat in the ranks, but also discover the unsettling nature of the films that were shot in the warehouse. Now, as terror takes hold, the thieves are about to discover that they are being stalked from the shadows and that their odds of living to see daybreak are shrinking with each passing minute.

"Dawning" takes place at a Northern Minnesota lake cabin where a brother and sister visit their father and step-mom. As the first night unfolds with uncomfortable small-talk and tension, tragedy strikes as the beloved family dog is found mortally wounded. Almost immediately a stranger, potentially under the spell of some un-seen "presence", appears in the cabin and tells the family that he has come to save them...but from what? The man's arrival upsets what at best was only a tentative balance and the pretense at civility begins to crumble. Soon, their lack of trust in each other and their inability to cope with any new pressure exposes their weaknesses and what the stranger has started, whatever is waiting in the dark may finish.