As an eight-year-old child, Carol Halstead was the only witness to the gruesome murder of her parents in their own home by four teenagers. Despite all her efforts to help the police, the killers were never caught.

Even now, 15 years later, Carol's dreams are still haunted by the faces of the four who got away. But she's made a valiant effort to put the past behind her: She's just begun her first job as a grade-school teacher in another town, and is enjoying getting to know her students and coworkers. In fact, she's quite pleased with her new start -- that is, until she realizes that the face of one of her favorite young pupils seems uncannily familiar.... As this unease develops into a terrifying suspicion she cannot ignore, Carol realizes her nightmares aren't over yet; they're only just beginning.