In 1799, New York City police officer Ichabod Crane is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow, where three headless corpses have been discovered in a short span of time. The locals whisper that the spirit of a headless rider is behind these murders. However, Crane, enlightened and progressive, is convinced that there is a logical, or rather natural, explanation for all the strange occurrences. He is mistaken! The upright lawman must soon acknowledge the existence of the mysterious rider.