Alex Prevost -- kidnapped, savagely beaten, suspended from the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in a tiny wooden cage -- is running out of time. Her abductor appears to want only to watch her die. Will hunger, thirst, or the rats get her first? Apart from a shaky eyewitness report of the abduction, Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go on: no suspect, no leads, and no family or friends anxious to find a missing loved one. The diminutive and brilliant detective knows from bitter experience the urgancy of finding the missing woman as quickly as possible -- but first he must understand more about her.