In "The Hound", we are introduced to an unnamed narrator who finds himself in a despairing state, contemplating suicide. As the story unfolds, we discover that the narrator and his friend, St. John, share a morbid fascination with grave-robbing. Together, they have amassed a collection of macabre artifacts in the basement of their shared house, creating a private exhibition showcasing their stolen treasures.

Their interest is piqued when they hear of a legend surrounding an old grave in a cemetery in Holland. This grave is rumored to hold the remains of a notorious tomb raider who had stolen a powerful artifact. Intrigued by the prospect of exhuming this grave, the narrator and St. John embark on a journey to Holland, ignoring the distant baying of a giant hound.

Upon reaching the cemetery, they unearth an elaborately-made casket containing a skeleton with signs of animal attack and a jade amulet hanging from its neck. Recognizing the significance of the amulet mentioned in the forbidden Necronomicon, they steal it and flee. However, their actions unleash a series of strange events upon their return to England.

Mysterious sounds and howling plague their home, leading to St. John's violent death at the hands of a creature brought forth by the amulet. Filled with fear and guilt, the narrator destroys the grotesque museum they had created and travels to London. Despite his efforts to return the amulet to its rightful owner in Holland, it is stolen from him.

The next day, he reads about a band of thieves meeting a brutal end, presumably by the same creature that took St. John's life. Gripped by madness and despair, the narrator returns to the cemetery and discovers the bloodied skeleton clutching the lost amulet. The skeleton's howling torments him, sending him into a state of complete insanity. He decides that death is the only escape from the horror consuming him and plans to end his life with a revolver.

In "The Hound", the eerie tale of obsession, grave-robbing, and its haunting consequences serves as a cautionary warning against meddling with the forbidden and the supernatural. The gripping narrative explores the depths of human depravity and the devastating consequences that can arise from tampering with forces beyond our comprehension. As readers, we are left with a profound sense of unease and a contemplation of the darkness that lurks within us all.