A tense woman, Malorie, sternly informs two young children that they will be going on a dangerous journey. She strictly instructs them to not remove their blindfolds, or else they will die. In a scene from five years earlier, a pregnant Malorie is visited by her older sister Jessica. Before going together to Malorie's pregnancy checkup, they briefly discuss a strange news story regarding mass suicides and chaos in Europe, however Malorie dismisses the news as irrelevant. Later, while leaving the doctor's office, Malorie witnesses a woman bashing her head into a window, and realizes that the strange news story of suicides and panic is now happening only mere feet away from her. As chaos and confusion erupt in the streets around them, Malorie and Jessica attempt to escape to Jessica's home in their car. While they drive, Malorie is distracted by a cell phone, and Jessica briefly sees something that frightens her. She becomes visibly sad, and though Malorie tries to stop her, crashes the car. Injured and horrified, Malorie is unable to stop a visibly affected Jessica from killing herself by stepping in front of a truck. In shock and fear, Malorie runs in the chaotic crowd, trying to escape from something she can neither see nor understand. She falls, and is rescued by Tom, and they escape into a house with other frightened strangers, one of whom's wife kills herself during Malorie's rescue. One of the other survivors, Charlie, theorizes that an otherworldly entity has invaded Earth. They conclude that simply seeing the unknown creatures must cause humans to go insane, become violent, and commit suicide. At the insistence of Tom, they cover all windows in the house..