In the rugged Pacific Northwest of the United States lies the Olympic National Forest - a vast expanse of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this mysterious woodland, a six-year-old girl appears.

Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past. Having retreated to her hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr Julia Cates begins working with the extraordinary little girl. Naming her Alice, Julia is determined to free her from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation, and discover the truth about Alice's past.

The shocking facts of Alice's life test the limits of Julia's faith and strength, even as she struggles to make a home for Alice - and find a new one for herself.