In the little upstate town of Lakeville, there's one small hotel - the Benson Hotel - owned and operated by Carl and Vera Benson. The Benson was never elegant - never pretended to be - but it is clean and comfortable, and although the years have left it a little shabby, it's a warm and friendly haven from the wild and violent winter storm that rages outside. On the radio, Vera listens as a news bulletin reports a daring daylight robbery in nearby Syracuse, but she's broken off by a new guest checking in...