Dr. Sarah Taylor is criminal psychologist with a brilliant incisive mind. She is capable of dissecting the fabrications of accused serial killer Max Cheski, who is attempting to avoid a murder trial through an insanity plea. While shopping for groceries, Sarah meets a stranger--the charming, enigmatic Tony Ramirez, whose fiery combination of innocence and danger succeeds in breaking through Sarah's emotional walls. She begins a passionate affair with Tony, an experience that is both exhilarating and frightening to someone as controlled as Sarah. As a new life unfolds for her, a series of increasingly disturbing events threaten to destroy it.