Asleep in a haze of alcohol, Martha Tierney awakes to the insistent ringing of her phone. The voice on the other end belongs to the headmistress at her son's school. Martha doesn't know what day it is, but the woman's message is unmistakable: Jonathan is missing. There are many children in NYC who conveniently vanish, say the police, kids who go their own way. But when Martha's ex-husband joins the hunt, he uncovers evidence of frightening danger to Jonathan, a crime of unspeakable intent that only Martha can prevent. Now, as minutes turn to hours, Martha, hands trembling, heart pounding, begins a desperate search for her child. She knows that, somewhere in the night, Jonathan cringes in terror. And she knows that she must stay sober if she is to save him.