Offender profiler Frank Black, a member of the private investigative organisation Millennium Group, retires to Seattle with his family after a breakdown caused him to quit working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Using his incredible profiling skills, Black helps in an effort to catch a vicious murderer who believes he is fulfilling apocalyptic prophecies.

Offender profiler Frank Black, a member of the private investigative organisation Millennium Group, is sent to San Francisco to track down a doomsday cult which murders its brainwashed members when they disobey it.

At a Seattle cemetery, James Dickerson, a handsome 20-year-old, lurks outside the chapel during a college football player's funeral. After the mourners leave, James approaches the deceased's mother and sister. Calling himself "Ray Bell," he gains their trust by pretending to be a friend from college. He hugs the boy's grieving mother, savoring the hug in an unsettling way. That night, the mother visits the open grave one last time, when suddenly hands reach out of the grave, and drag the terrified woman inside.

Clinical social worker Catherine Black aids a family as they come to terms with the incestuous abuse they have suffered for decades. However, the father who is responsible still commands respect and political connections in the area, making the case a difficult one.

A man, Cutter, parks his automobile near a home with a "For Sale" sign on the front lawn. After speaking briefly with a realtor, Cutter signs his name in a guest book and makes his way through the house, where he takes particular interest in a little girl's bedroom. Later that evening, the owners return home and tuck their young daughter, Patricia, into bed. Later that night, Patricia suddenly begins screaming.

Frank enters a hospital emergency room looking for Catherine, who is working the night shift in child counseling. Suddenly, paramedics rush in with a bloodied woman on a gurney. Frank is inexplicably drawn to the stranger, and as he moves closer, notices a curved slash on her palm. He raises his own right hand, revealing a thin white scar which matches exactly the slash on the victim's hand. The woman dies from her injuries.

Frank's brother, Tom, and his wife, Helen, travel to Seattle where they hold their newborn son's baptism. After the ceremony, Frank checks up on Jordan, who is off playing with a friend inside the church. He finds his daughter huddled in a ball on the pew, clutching herself. She speaks of a man she saw hurting her Aunt Helen. Frank rushes outside the church. He finds his baby nephew unharmed in the back seat of Tom's rental car, but notes a blood droplet on the infant's face. Frank and Tom realize Helen was abducted.

Peter Watts tells Catherine that Frank missed a routine homicide review with Yakima police that morning. Fearing the worst, Peter and Catherine access Frank's computer, looking for clues that would shed light on his disappearance. The pair uncover email correspondence between Frank (using the pseudonym "David Marx") and a Doctor Daniel Miller. Catherine tells Peter that five years ago, just before Frank collapsed, he would sometimes vanish for days at a time and check into hotels using the same pseudonym.

Frank and Bob Bletcher hike across a remote snow-covered mountaintop in the spectacular North Cascades region of Washington State. Their trip is cut short when Frank receives an important page from the FBI.

Attorney Al Pepper walks through a supermarket parking lot carrying a bag of groceries. A teenager, Sam, addresses Pepper and extends an open palm. Frank exits the supermarket and sees the two men. Suddenly, a bolt of light emanates from Sam's palm, knocking Pepper to the ground. Frank runs towards the scene, passing through panicking shoppers. When he arrives at Pepper's side, he discovers a handgun lying at Sam's feet.