Mired in post-divorce madness, Rolf Burnside has spent most of the last thirteen years carefully planning the kidnapping of his daughter, Cheryl. He's successfully established the illusion that he lives abroad; in reality, he's been spending his time robbing West Coast banks to raise capital, learning how to fly, recruiting gullible accomplices, and carefully rehearsing every detail of the kidnapping. Rolf finally strikes one October day in Titusville, Washington, where Cheryl lives with her mother and stepfather. While Cheryl talks with her friend, Annie, outside their middle school, one of Rolf's minions grabs her and tosses her into the car. Terrified, Cheryl puts up what resistance she can, but she's no match for her captors, who take her to a remote mountain camp. Rolf leads law enforcement on a knotty chase as he slips through every trap they try to set, picks up the ransom, and then disappears; he thinks he can't be caught. But Cheryl is not a willing victim. She fearlessly scorns Rolf and, in a moment of confusion, Cheryl escapes, fleeing to a cabin a few miles away. Injured and alone, Cheryl wonders if she will ever be able to go home. Unaware of Cheryl's location but refusing to give up on his meticulous plan, Rolf is determined to find his daughter and teach her a lesson she won't soon forget.