One night, Kurouzu-cho’s lighthouse begins emitting a bright glow that swirls across town. It soon becomes a nightly occurrence, and people become mesmerized by the glow—including Kirie’s brother Mitsuo. Kirie warns him to stay away. Some residents begin acting strange (i.e., spinning in circles); a team goes to investigate the lighthouse, but never return. One day, the town finds a boat swept ashore—its crew having gone missing after becoming sick with obsession over the lighthouse.

One afternoon, Mitsuo and a group of friends go into the lighthouse. Alarmed, Kirie goes in after them. As she climbs, she notes that it “felt like the stairs went on forever” (282). She begins noticing spiral shapes on the walls and ceiling and concludes that the lighthouse has become one with the spiral. Suddenly, Kirie smells burning. As she turns a corner, she sees three charred bodies. She realizes they are the group of men who investigated the lighthouse days ago but never came back.

Kirie eventually finds two of Mitsuo’s friends. Behind them lay more charred remains, which likely belong to the missing crew members of the stranded boat. When Kirie reaches the top of the lighthouse, she finds a frightened Mitsuo sat under the melted lamp.