Taylor Shaw is a young girl being raised by her single mother on a modest orange farm in Newton, California, in the California desert. While in high school, she secures a job babysitting for the Fitzgerald family and their daughter Tammy. Shortly thereafter, Tammy is kidnapped. No ransom demand is made, and no body is found. The child is declared dead, and the case is closed. Unwilling to accept the results of the police investigation, Taylor sets out on a one-person crusade to find Tammy. She enlists the help of her college professor, Rick Miller, and a friend from high school, Frank Diaz, who joined the local police department after the kidnapping. Don Fitzgerald, Tammy's father, is credited with extending the interstate highway across the dangerous mountain pass between Newton and Haven and with building a new subdivision, Haven Lakes, along the new route. Taylor, Rick, and Frank learn that a gangster, Antony Carbone, is the money-person behind Don. After Frank drops out, Taylor and Rick work tirelessly to find Tammy. They ultimately find her at Carbone's compound. They arrange for Taylor's biker friends to extricate her which they do but not without a protracted battle against Carbone's men. Along the way, the relationship between Taylor and Rick develops from help-mate to romantic. After Taylor finishes college and law school, they become engaged.