The clock is ticking.

When Amanda Reeves, a beautiful young student, is kidnapped on the streets of Los Angeles, LAPD Detective Ray Collins knows that every second counts. Because the kidnapping is clearly the latest work of the serial killer known as the "Night Shade Killer," who has terrified the city for the past twelve years.

Each year, the killer kidnaps a victim to torture and eventually kill them after a thoroughly planned ritual. Each time, there are exactly nine days between the abduction and the victim's death. The murderer has never been caught.

And this time, too, all traces lead nowhere. Until Ray, whose reputation as a loner makes him more enemies than friends at the LAPD, investigates on his own and makes an incredible discovery. A discovery that brings back his insomnia as much as the flashbacks from his past.

It soon becomes clear that this case is not only the biggest case of Ray's career, but also the most personal... can he catch the killer before another victim loses their life?