When Delia Balmer meets John Sweeney, he seems like the kindred spirit she has been searching for. But as his anti-establishment persona gives way to a darker, violent side, Sweeney taunts Delia with the revelation that he murdered his ex-girlfriend. Sweeney is arrested, but released on bail after the court fails to recognise how dangerous he is, leaving him free to subject Delia to a near-fatal attack. She survives, but Sweeney disappears. Delia tries to rebuild her life, but when Sweeney is arrested years later, she must face him all over again in court as the key prosecution witness.