Set in the late sixties, Marcie, a young girl who seeks enlightenment and freedom from her controlling parents, rides in a van along with a group of hippies named Dee Dee, Violet, Harry, and Ted to California. The hippies are part of a cult led by a mysterious man named Seth. However, the group is unaware that they are being watched and followed by the Phantom Stranger, who states, "Not all those who wander are lost. But, many are, and once lost, they may truly be lost forever." They arrive at a house not far from Los Angeles, once owned by an old-time movie star and now owned by Seth. The group goes inside, but Marcie says she needs a cigarette break and waits outside. As she is having a smoke, Marcie, disgusted by the condition of the property—the lawn hasn't been mowed in weeks, and the water fountain in the front yard is filthy and full of dead fish—crosses paths with the Phantom Stranger. He advises her that appearances are not what they seem. He asks why they are visiting Seth, and she says that she believes she and her friends are looking for truth, freedom, and spiritual guidance in a world torn apart by war, pollution, and lies. The Phantom Stranger tells her that truth lies not at the end of a road but inside those who walk the road. As she joins the others, he says that she should stay away from what is inside, but when she is about to blow him off, he disappears and heads to the front door. Marcie is shocked to see an eye at the doorknob, but she was just imagining things and goes in. The hippies are happy to see her, and they start drinking wine when Seth appears. He begins a ceremony by magically lighting candles, and they have a dance party, smoking marijuana and drinking more wine until Seth performs a ritual, marking the foreheads of Dee Dee, Violet, Harry, and Ted with the wine from his chalice and then starts kissing them. Seth is wearing a serpent pendant around his neck, and every time he kisses the hippies, it glows, and they all fall to the floor. Then he turns to Marcie. Just when he is about to kiss her, the Phantom Stranger intervenes. The latter reveals that Seth is a soul-eating vampire and the Ouroboros Pendant he is wearing gives him eternal life and power for a limited period, and he has been leading unsuspecting victims to their doom for centuries. Seth and the Stranger engage in a sword fight, and when the Stranger has the upper hand over Seth, Marcie knocks him out cold with an Egyptian statue. As Seth feeds off the Phantom Stranger's magical aura, Marcie finds her friends as drained husks. Realizing that the Phantom Stranger was speaking the truth, she seduces Seth, saying he is a "king of ages" but needs a "queen." The ruse works long enough for her to grab the pendant and smash it to pieces. Seth, without his immortality, turns to dust and ash. The Phantom Stranger is pleased with the choice that Marcie made. As they leave the house, the Stranger asks Marcie what she will do now. Would she keep searching for her truth? She replies with the same words he once said: "Truth lies not at the end of a road but inside those who walk the road." She says she will keep traveling until she finds it, no matter how long or how far, and bring it with her. When the Stranger disappears again, she drives off into the city, but he is always looking out for her in the form of a giant silhouette in the night sky.