Margaret and Steve Frawley celebrate the third birthday of their twingirls, Kelly and Kathy, with an afternoon party in their new home. Thatevening, Steve and Margaret attend a black-tie dinner in New York. Onreturning home, the police are in the house, the babysitter has beenfound unconscious, the children are gone and a note demanding an eightmillion dollar ransom has been left in their room.Steve firmagrees to pay the ransom. The kidnapper, who identifies himself as the"Pied Piper", makes his terms known - on delivery of the ransom, a callwill come revealing the girls' whereabouts. The call comes, but onlyKelly is in the car parked behind a deserted restaurant. The driver isdead from a gunshot wound and has left a suicide note, saying he hadinadvertently killed Kathy and had dumped her body in the ocean.Atthe private memorial Mass for Kathy, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm andsays: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come homeright now." More unexplainable occurrences follow, indicating that Kellyis in touch with Kathy. At first, no one except the mother believesthat the twins are communicating and that Kelly is still alive. AsKelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, however, theFBI agents set out on a search for Kathy. As they close in on the PiedPiper and his accomplices, Kathy's life hangs on a thread.