On a snowstorm night in the northern suburbs of Seattle, Maisie Hale, a little girl who had long endured neglect and abuse, ran barefoot out of the woods and onto the highway, narrowly escaping being hit by a car driven by wealthy heir Adrian Sterling. Adrian rushed the child to hospital; she was suffering from a high fever, pneumonia and severe dehydration. Doctors soon discovered old and fresh bruises across Maisie’s body, formed at different times. The girl clutched a photograph of her mother Vivian, stubbornly believing her mother — whom everyone insisted was dead — was still alive.
When Maisie handed the photo to Adrian, he was stunned to realize Vivian was his former lover, whom he had spent nearly six years searching for. Maisie possessed a unique ability: she could understand the voices and feelings of animals. Still, animals could only share information they had personally seen, heard or smelled. Adrian chose to trust her, yet insisted every clue relayed by animals had to be verified by adults.
Victor and Denise had obtained temporary guardianship of Maisie after Vivian’s disappearance. Instead of caring for her, they abused the girl for years and embezzled her welfare benefits. Police searched the basement of the Hale residence and recovered Vivian’s personal belongings alongside records from Maisie’s benefit account. Crushed under interrogation pressure, the couple turned on each other. Both confessed to assaulting the child and were arrested by law enforcement.
