A young girl, Audrey Dixon, is abducted on a bright, sunny fall afternoon in the city of Levinson in Dempsey County. Her car is found the next day on the other side of the county in the parking lot of a rural reservoir. Dempsey County Sheriff's Detective Matt Simms is assigned to the case. In the early weeks following Audrey's abduction, Simms is unaware that his case is connected to numerous other abductions and brutal murders occurring across the country. A chance sighting of the victim leads Simms to a confrontation with a sly and cunning adversary skilled in the art of deception and results in the uncovering of a crime spree that will involve the highest levels of the United States government and their desperate attempt to keep the killings a secret.