Edith (Mia Wasikowska) believes in ghosts, ever since her dead mother appeared to her one night when she was a little girl, warning her about "Crimson Peak".
Years later, Edith marries a mysterious inventor, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and moves with him to his home in England, a place people like to refer to as "Crimson Peak", since the red clay to be found there turns the snow red during the winter. Soon after moving to the place, Edith starts seeing ghosts of women around the house, and begins to piece together all the clues to find out the truth about her husband and his sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain).

