John Quarry is on vacation with his small son, Nate, when a tragedy occurs: during an overnight stop in the Fraser Canyon, the child disappears and is presumed lost to the river. The coroner's verdict is death by drowning, although the body is never recovered. While the authorities consider the matter closed, a provocative dream convinces John that his son is not dead, but stolen. With little hope and only a single clue, John sets out on a desperate search. It takes him from B.C. to bustling Calgary where he is arrested, to the Alberta badlands where he is nearly murdered, and to the foothills of the towering Rocky Mountains where he is forced to undertake a final, perilous journey.