Acting Sheriff Buddy Steel finds himself stymied when he is called by his father, the legendary Sheriff Burton Steel, to find the missing daughter of family friends. The 21-year-old honors student has disappeared without a trace, and neither canvassing nor traffic cameras offer any clues. Then an attorney from one firm and a legal assistant from another also vanish over the next couple of days, and Buddy enlists the help of the FBI to search for clues linking the cases. Their investigation turns up a frightening connection that will have Buddy and a highly trained tactical unit racing the clock to find the missing victims before the triple kidnapping turns to triple homicide.