Burt and Vicky, a couple trying to save their marriage, are driving to California for a vacation and to visit Vicky's brother. As they are driving through rural Nebraska and arguing, Burt is ready to call off the vacation and consult a divorce attorney. Then they accidentally run over a young boy who had his throat slit and was thrown into the road. Burt opens the boy's suitcase to find a crucifix made of twisted corn husks. They agree to report the incident to the police and place the body in their car's trunk.
When they arrive in Gatlin, it appears to be deserted. They do not see any cars or people anywhere. After driving past a gas station and visiting a diner, they notice that several things (such as gas prices, menu prices, and calendar dates) are very outdated. Vicky, who does not like the town, starts to get nervous and asks if they can leave.
Burt decides to explore a nearby church he remembers seeing not too long ago. Vicky is unsure of his choice and tells him not to go. The couple argues as usual and Burt takes the keys and proceeds inside the church, which unlike the rest of the town, still shows signs of life.
Inside, he finds vile writings and artwork on the church wall as well as the keys and stops of the pipe organ ripped out and its pipes stuffed with corn husks. At the altar, Burt finds a King James Bible (with several pages from the New Testament cut out) as well as a record book listing the births and deaths of various people. He notices that all names in the book and another subsequent one were changed from modern to Biblical ones, and that everyone listed as deceased died on their 19th birthday. Burt realizes that 12 years ago, the children of Gatlin killed the town's adults and that members of their community are not allowed to live past their 19th birthday.
After hearing the car's horn, Burt runs from the church to find the car surrounded by a gang of children and teenagers dressed in Amish-style clothing and armed with farm tools. They destroy the windows and windshield, slash the tires, and drag Vicky out. Burt tries to intervene, but a redheaded teen boy stabs him in the arm. Burt pulls the knife out and stabs the boy in the throat. The children step back in shock. Burt then realizes that Vicky is gone. When he asks where she is, one of the children holds up a knife and makes a slashing motion.
The children chase Burt, but he manages to outrun them and ducks into the cornfield and hides while they search for him. He notices that there are no animals or weeds in the cornfield and that every stalk of corn is blemish-free. As the sun sets, Burt gets lost and wanders around until he finds a circle of empty ground in the middle of the cornfield and discovers Vicky's body. She has been tied to a cross with barbed wire and her eyes have been ripped out, her eye sockets filled with corn silk, and her mouth stuffed with corn husks.
He also sees the crucified skeletons of Gatlin's minister and police chief; the latter is wearing a blue uniform. When Burt turns around to flee, he notices that every row in the cornfield has closed up, creating a wall that prevents him from escaping. He realizes that something is coming for him, but before he can do anything, he is killed by a giant, green, red-eyed monster that comes out of the cornfield. Soon after, a harvest moon appears in the sky.
The next day, the children of Gatlin (all of whom worship "He Who Walks Behind the Rows", an entity that inhabits the cornfields surrounding the town) have a meeting in the circle. Isaac, their 9-year-old leader, tells them that He Who Walks Behind the Rows is displeased with their sacrifice because they failed to also kill Burt. The same thing happened with the "blue man" and the "false minister" many years ago. He Who Walks Behind the Rows punishes this failure by lowering the "age of favor" to 18. He also commands the children to "be fruitful and multiply".
That night, Malachi (the killer of the boy Burt and Vicky ran over) and all of the other 18-year-olds walk into the corn and disappear. Ruth, a girl who is pregnant with Malachi's child, weeps as she waves goodbye to him. It is revealed that she secretly hates He Who Walks Behind the Rows and dreams of setting fire to the cornfield, but is afraid to actually do so because He Who Walks Behind the Rows can see everything, including the secrets inside human hearts. The story ends by saying that the corn surrounding Gatlin is pleased.
Connections to other books
Gatlin was mentioned in It. Hemingford Home, a neighboring town to Gatlin, was also the town where Mother Abagail lived and rounded up the good survivors of the super flu in The Stand, and was also the location in 1922.
