Simone finds a large clump of her daughter Lucy’s hair caught on the broken front door, confirming her fear that Lucy has been taken. Panicked, she tries to think of anyone Lucy might have been with, but all Lucy’s contact details are on her locked smartphone. When Simone hears a beeping sound, she discovers a second, hidden flip phone under Lucy’s pillow. The phone rings with a call from “Caller Unknown.” When she answers, a person with a distorted voice tells her to “[c]heck messages” and hangs up. Immediately after, a text message arrives from the same unknown sender. Simone opens the message.

The anonymous text message states that her daughter, Lucy, has been kidnapped. The message warns her not to contact the police, threatening Lucy’s life, and instructs Simone to meet at an abandoned church in nearby Shafter, Texas, at 9:00 pm. Simone struggles with disbelief, hoping it is a dream or a prank, but she is unable to call the blocked number. She receives a second message containing a video, which is labeled “Proof of life.”

The video shows Lucy, bound but unharmed. She states that she is safe and urges Simone to comply with her captors’ demands. Frozen by fear and guilt for sleeping through the abduction, Simone cannot bring herself to call 911. Instead, she calls Damien. When he hears what happened, he says he will book a flight. He says they need to call the police, but Simone’s instinctual hesitation tells them both that she is thinking about following the kidnapper’s instructions.

Simone and Damien debate their next move. Damien insists they must call the police, arguing that authorities are trained for kidnappings, and the criminals only want money. Simone is fixated on the kidnappers’ threat to kill Lucy if she contacts the police. They briefly discuss how they would gather a potential ransom; Damien doubts their ability to pay, but Simone is certain they would liquidate everything they own for their child. Feeling that the responsibility for Lucy’s safety is hers alone, Simone tells Damien to get a flight to Texas but evades the question of whether she will call the police.

After the call, a memory of being reduced to a case number by social services as a child reminds her of her distrust of authorities. Convinced that only she is “all-in” on saving Lucy, Simone decides she is incapable of defying the kidnapper’s one direct order.

Simone questions how the kidnapper knew their lodge was occupied and wonders if they were specifically targeted. Her thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of a police officer who has pulled over a driver on the street in front of their lodge. The officer notices Simone watching him through the window and approaches to ask if she is alright. Recalling the kidnapper’s explicit threat to kill Lucy if she involves the police, Simone decides to lie, telling the officer that everything is fine and that she is just on vacation with her daughter, who is inside. After the officer leaves, she questions her choice and wonders if she will be brave enough to follow the kidnappers’ instructions.

Desperate, Simone checks the business account for Dishes, the restaurant she owns with her husband, Damien. She considers taking the £5,500 available, feeling that the restaurant is as much hers as his, despite his handling of the finances. A flashback reveals how she and Damien met and bonded over their shared dissatisfaction with their corporate jobs. They eventually used £10,000 Simone had earned from creating and selling a website, along with a large loan, to open Dishes and escape the “rat race” after their daughter was born.

Back in the present, Simone knows the $4,000 cash she has for the trip is insufficient for a ransom. Just as she contemplates her next move, the burner phone receives a new message: She is to bring nothing and no one to the meeting, with a warning of “bang” if she contacts the police. This confuses her, as it implies the deal is not for money. Immediately after, Damien calls from Heathrow to say he has a flight to join her.

Damien calls Simone, assuming that she has already contacted the police about Lucy. Simone reveals that she has not, explaining that the kidnapper threatened to kill Lucy if law enforcement becomes involved. Damien is furious and insists she call them immediately. Their argument grows heated, bringing up old marital resentments, particularly the fact that Simone has always believed that, as the mother, she loves Lucy more than Damien.

The argument culminates in Damien’s ultimatum: Simone must call the police, or he will. To prevent him from doing so before his flight, Simone lies and promises him that she will make the call. Once Damien is in the air and unreachable, Simone resolves to handle the situation herself. She packs their bags, leaves the lodge, and begins driving to the designated meeting spot, deciding to attempt the rescue on her own.

Simone drives to the meeting point designated by the kidnapper. As she waits nervously by the abandoned church, she reflects Damien’s cover story to his sister about a business “opportunity” in Texas.

At exactly nine o’clock, she receives a text on the burner phone instructing her to destroy it and dispose of it in a nearby dumpster, warning that she is being watched. After she complies, she discovers a second phone ringing nearby. When she answers the new burner phone, an automated voice instructs her to walk back and forth with her hands in the air until told to stop. A final text arrives on this new phone, revealing the kidnappers’ true demand: They do not want a ransom. Instead, Simone must complete an unspecified task to secure her daughter’s return.

A cryptic message arrives on the phone, which she recognizes as coordinates through the What Three Words app, pinpointing a location in Nueva Rosita, Mexico. Another message instructs her to collect a bag from a storage unit. She realizes that she is being forced to smuggle something illegal across the border to save Lucy.

Feeling overwhelmed, she considers calling the police, but then a new video arrives on the flip phone. In it, Lucy pleads with her to follow the kidnapper’s instructions and not involve the authorities. After analyzing the video and concluding Lucy is alive and being directed, Simone believes that cooperation is the only way to save her daughter. She abandons the idea of calling for help and begins driving toward the nearest border crossing.

While driving, Simone answers a call from Damien, who has just landed in the US and is waiting for his connecting flight to Texas. She confesses that she went to the drop point alone without informing the police, breaking her promise to him. She reveals the kidnapper’s new instructions: She must go to Mexico for the next step. Damien is shocked and angry, insisting they should call the authorities, but Simone refuses.

The tense conversation escalates into a fight about their parenting roles, with Simone claiming that mothers love their children more and Damien feeling that she has always excluded him. Hurt but resolute, Damien promises not to call the police, leaving the rescue in her hands. After he hangs up, Simone is left with the crushing weight of her decision, understanding that the outcome now rests entirely on her.

Simone drives to a tourist bus depot near the border. The plan is for her to travel anonymously on an overnight bus to Nueva Rosita, Mexico. When she arrives, a tour operator informs her all the buses are fully booked. Drawing on her ability to improvise under pressure, Simone lies and claims she has a reservation but that the confirmation is in her husband’s email, making it inaccessible. Though the operator seems briefly suspicious, he ultimately sells her a ticket for cash after she explains she is only taking a day trip with no luggage.

Simone sends Damien a brief text stating that she is safe, deciding it’s better he knows nothing about her mission. On the bus, a conversation with a British man who says he’s from Manchester ends when his use of an American word arouses her suspicion. At the Del Rio border crossing, Simone nervously watches as their bus is pulled over for inspection. A Border Patrol officer boards and checks passports, and the bus continues into Mexico.

As she travels, Simone recalls a past conversation with Lucy, who suddenly decided against living in student housing, citing a “loss of confidence” (64). Simone now views this decision as suspect. Overwhelmed by fear and regret for not involving the police, she feels a deep sense of foreboding that her actions will have unforeseen consequences. She finally breaks down in tears.

Simone arrives in Nueva Rosita feeling the weight of Lucy’s ongoing captivity. The kidnapper has given her a location, and she decides to walk the several miles to it to avoid leaving an evidence trail with taxis or ride-sharing services. On her way, Damien calls her, having just landed in Texas. Simone informs him that she has been given a task to complete for the kidnapper but refuses to share specifics, believing it is safer for him not to know. Damien offers to come to Mexico to help. The conversation turns emotional as Simone acknowledges her tendency to handle things by herself, a trait she developed in foster care. She tells Damien that knowing he is nearby makes her feel less alone, and he promises he will be there for her no matter what. They both end the call in tears.

Simone arrives at a dilapidated, single-story garage. The only way in is through a roller shutter door that is open just a foot from the ground. She hesitates to enter the pitch-black interior, worrying it is a trap set by the kidnapper or the police. After a brief, fruitless search for another entrance, she accepts she must go in. Steeling herself, Simone crawls under the door into the complete darkness. Once inside, she stands up, her senses heightened as her eyes adjust.

Simone feels like she is being watched. She locates a sports bag in the corner of the garage and, after a moment of hesitation, opens it. Inside, she discovers it is filled with kilogram bars of what she presumes is cocaine. While the drugs are shocking, she is more disturbed by the pornographic sticker of a faceless woman on each bar, which makes her feel like a disposable pawn, much like her kidnapped daughter, Lucy. The sight strengthens her resolve to do whatever is necessary to get Lucy back. After a moment of reflection at a sink, where she considers the trail of evidence she’s leaving, and the chain of suffering the drugs will cause, Simone takes the bag. She notices that the zipper is open a bit, and when she tries to close it, it just reopens again.

To wait for her evening bus, Simone goes to the center of Nueva Rosita, where she buys groceries to look more inconspicuous. While she waits, she reflects on her difficult youth and the resourcefulness she developed after being put in foster care. Exhausted, she finds a quiet spot in a nearby cemetery and sleeps for three hours.

When the bus arrives, she re-zips the sports bag and loads it into the luggage compartment, placing her grocery bag away from it. As the bus approaches the US border, Simone’s anxiety intensifies. A friendly Border Patrol officer named Michaela checks her passport and has a disarming conversation with her about their daughters. Sensing Simone’s distress, the officer accepts her explanation that she simply misses her daughter. Just as the officer leaves her, Simone hears the distinct sound of a sniffer dog barking nearby.

Simone panics when she sees two German shepherds outside, realizing they could detect the cocaine. As Michaela asks passengers if they have anything to declare, Simone struggles against the impulse to confess. Her terror intensifies when she overhears the officer telling the driver there will be a luggage check. In this moment of extreme stress, Simone realizes that if Lucy is murdered, she will kill herself. She resigns herself to being caught, her final thought being whether Lucy will know that she tried to save her.

The British man who was on Simone’s outbound trip is on the bus, and he checks on her, making her uneasy. Simone overhears Michaela on her radio discussing an “illegal on bus 702” (87). Michaela is called away from Simone’s bus, and the anticipated search is seemingly abandoned. As the bus drives away from the checkpoint, Simone is flooded with euphoric relief, realizing she has successfully gotten the drugs across the border.

When she gets to her car, Simone receives a text asking if she has the bag. She says yes and asks to speak to Lucy, but the kidnapper only instructs her to go to the original meeting place and destroy the burner phone. Simone starts driving.

Along the highway, she spots a 24-hour gun shop and pulls over, debating whether she should arm herself before meeting the kidnappers. Concluding that a weapon might be necessary to protect herself and save Lucy, she decides to go inside. A sign in the window reading “Private Seller—No Background Checks Necessary” solidifies her decision (90), and she enters the store.

Simone uses the ATM to withdraw cash, wanting to avoid a gun transaction on her debit card. The young employee shows her a pistol, instructing her on how to operate it and loading it with two bullets. At Simone’s request, he leaves the gun loaded and ready to fire.

Simone drives to the meeting place with the drugs. As instructed, she destroys the phone and tucks the new gun into her waistband. Before turning off her personal phone, she sends a text to Damien, stating that she has completed the transaction and is waiting. Simone stands outside her car and sees headlights approaching in the distance. She is prepared to do whatever it takes to bring Lucy back.

Simone meets an American man in a balaclava to exchange the drugs for her daughter. During the inspection, the man discovers that one kilogram of the expected six is missing. Simone realizes a block must have fallen out of the bag through its broken zipper. Accusing her of theft, the man angrily cancels the deal. He says he is just a “messenger,” and his instructions are explicit.

As he prepares to drive away, Simone hears insistent tapping from the car’s rear and realizes that Lucy is in the trunk. The man ignores the sound and gets ready to leave. In a desperate act, Simone pulls out the gun and shoots the man in the back.

The kidnapper falls, bleeding profusely but still alive. Simone rushes to the car to find her daughter. She opens the trunk and discovers Lucy inside, bound and gagged but alive. Overcome with relief, Simone frees her daughter. As Lucy’s eyes open, they share an emotional moment. They embrace tightly. Lucy repeats the only two words she can manage: “You came.”

Lucy asks her mother if she killed the man, and Simone confesses that she shot him. Simone decides the most important thing now is trying to save the man. She and Lucy approach the man’s motionless body and see the extent of his wound. Agreeing that they were forced into this situation and won’t be arrested, they decide they must call 911.

Simone uses the nearby payphone to call 911. She confesses to the operator that she was the shooter, explaining that the man had kidnapped her daughter. She is transferred to a sheriff who is immediately skeptical, cautioning her that claiming duress is a common, and often false, defense for criminal behavior. When questioned about the ransom, Simone avoids mentioning the bag of cocaine, which deepens the sheriff’s suspicion.

The sheriff’s parting words, “You gather your evidence” (109), spark a horrifying realization in Simone. She mentally lists all the evidence that incriminates her—the destroyed ransom phones, her documented trip to Mexico, a text to Damien about a “transaction,” his telling Luan she was in Texas for an “opportunity—and the lack of any proof of a kidnapping. Her panic escalates when she checks the kidnapper’s pulse and finds he is dead. Convinced she will be seen as a murderer and drug trafficker, Simone frantically begins trying to bury the bag of cocaine.

Lucy confirms what the dead man said: He was just a messenger, not the kidnapper. As she says this, another car approaches, which they believe must belong to the actual kidnapper. Lucy grabs the gun and shoots at the approaching vehicle, aiming at the tires, allowing them to escape in their car.

As they speed away, Simone confesses to Lucy that she trafficked cocaine to pay the ransom. They debate going to the police but realize their story is implausible. With no proof of the kidnapping, and having now shot a man and fled the scene, they fear they will face charges for murder and drug trafficking. Weighing their options, they decide to flee rather than risk prosecution.