Still haunted by the suicide of his son Kyle three years earlier, psychologist Michael Hunter has given up his practice and moved into writing. When he's approached by a former student to evaluate a new patient, he at first declines. But when Michael hears more details about Tommy Caffey's case, he decides to see the boy. Having discovered his mother's murdered body as a child, Tommy was institutionalized for years. Michael can't help but connect Tommy's trauma to the tragic story of his own son. Now, as Tommy is scheduled to be released for his upcoming 18th birthday, he begins to reveal information about his past that previosuly lay hidden. As Michael travels further into Tommy's painful history, he begins to dredge up a series of dangerous secrets.