著名心理醫生亨達兒子自殺身亡,從此一撅不振。之後,亨達被派到管教所與湯美做心理評估。亨達發現湯美年幼時曾目睹一宗兇案,兇手正是湯美的父親。亨達同湯美,醫生與病人,兩個受創傷的人走在一起,帶出連串多年來未有答案的問題:亨達的兒子為甚麼自殺?湯美的父親殺死誰?湯美知道原因,但為何一直不肯透露?兇案同湯美又有何關係?Michael Hunter's lovely, beloved 17 year-old son Kyle committed suicide, although he was in therapy for depression. This ruins Michael's marriage, his daughter Shelly moves in with her mother. He stops treating patients in order to write and teach Psychotherapy, until many years later when a student gets him fascinated by the case of Thomas 'Tommy' Caffey. He was about to be released at his 18th birthday from the closed 'boys school' he was placed into after his father, Joseph, was put into jail for beating his adulterous mother to death. Michael feels that Tommy carries a big chip on his shoulder, ignores that Shelly fell for him at first sight, but is mesmerized by Tommy's resemblance (purposefully enhanced) to Kyle. There is also a revealing meeting with Tommy's dad in jail.