The Obsession

On August 29, 1998, nearly 12-year-old Naomi Bowes wakes abruptly in her rural West Virginia home during a stormy night. She notices her father, Thomas David Bowes, a strict patriarch who works for a cable company, leaving the house mysteriously. Curious despite knowing that the nearby woods are forbidden, Naomi follows her father through the rain to a burned-out cabin. She watches as Thomas disappears into a hidden door in the ground and then emerges later looking wild before carefully concealing and locking the entrance.

After her father leaves, Naomi investigates. She unbolts the hidden door and descends into the root cellar. Inside, she discovers Ashley McLean, a bound and injured woman. Using a knife she finds, Naomi cuts through Ashley’s restraints, helps her dress, and supports her as they escape through the woods toward town. During their arduous journey, Naomi reveals that her father was Ashley’s captor and attacker. By dawn, the exhausted pair reaches the Pine Meadows Sheriff’s Department, where Deputy Wayne takes them in.

At the Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Wayne provides Naomi with first aid while Miss Lettie Harbough, a kind-hearted local, offers comfort and dry clothes.