Way back when, the public fascination was caught by the story of a young girl who slept through the massacre of her entire family. Overlooked by the killers as she lay covered with toys on her bed, it seemed impossible then and seems impossible now to the police (and news reporters) that the one survivor to the killings can offer no details or explanations. Spirited away by an aunt from the prying eyes of the public, the "sleeping doll" has now grown up. On that terrible night it all fell apart also for the charismatic Charlie Pell and his "family" of followers. Pell's hold over his people was not as rock solid as he thought, with all five of the group arrested following a dissension in the ranks.
Special Agent Kathryn Dance is an incredible asset to the Californian Bureau of Investigation. Able to read a person's body language to determine whether they are telling the truth under interrogation, Dance works almost exclusively in assisting field investigators once they have brought suspects in for questioning. When Charles Pell escapes spectacularly from custody, Dance needs to take her involvement even further. Feeling that the three women who once shared their lives Pell must know something of his plans, Dance takes the unusual step of bringing them back together again, and not for old times' sake. Pell has had a long time to plan what he will do when free again, and is only a matter of minutes into this freedom that another life is taken.