Ordinarily, Emma McRae finds her adoptive parents' home in Baxter, Ohio, comfortable and reassuring, but on this Christmas break from college she's got more on her mind than cookies and presents. Her boyfriend, Mark, has started acting strangely, and to make matters worse, he's started making threatening calls to her in Ohio. Meanwhile, her parents have gone to Cleveland to help a relative, leaving her all alone, until a handsome stranger, Rye, shows up at her doorstep. He claims to have business with Emma's adoptive father but won't give any details. Rye is anxious to leave the house so he doesn't arouse Emma's curiosity, but when he witnesses one of Mark's calls, he can't leave her, knowing how scared she is. Rye stays in town for a few days to make sure nothing happens to her, and Emma welcomes his company, if only she could keep her hands off him.