In 1799, young Police Detective Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent from New York City to a small town called Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders. Approached by the town's council, Crane discovers that three of the murders were some of the most notable men in town. The council also says that the murders are the work of a deadly Hessian Horseman (Christopher Walken) whose head has been mysteriously chopped off. With the help from a young sidekick and the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), Crane's investigation takes him further through the dark woods where more murders have been occurring. What Crane does not realize is that the mysterious Horseman is being controlled by someone in a sinister plot to kill the most suitable men in the village.