The Storm

Synopsis

Sheriff Randy Meisner, his partner Deputy Gene Clemons, and Deputy Jana McPeak investigate the disappearance of several teenage girls. Randy is struggling with being estranged from his wife, Claire, who betrayed him with another man. Randy’s brother John, who has a history of drug use, is also acting mysteriously. Gene takes care of his elderly mother. The janitor Owen Jones is mourning the death of his wife.

During a storm, Denise Logan (18) escapes from her abductor and in the aftermath the police find the bodies of two murdered girls, Mindy and Sara. An older woman Eliza Boone goes missing in the storm.

Denise was abducted at the gas station, but she never saw her kidnapper. She tells the police that she was held captive in a house and tied to a chair. Chloroform was used on her.

A video of Denise’s kidnapping is discovered at the gas station where a partial tattoo of a skull on the abductor’s arm is seen.

An autopsy shows that animal blood was ingested in the bodies of the girls.

The parents of Denise, Lucas, and Dora are located. They are druggies and don’t believe Denise’s story.

When Randy sees a tattoo on John’s arm, he becomes suspicious and searches John’s room. He finds their father’s leather belt that was used to abuse them.

Denise sneaks out of the hospital and goes to Jana’s house. She doesn’t feel safe going back home. She questions Jana about the reward for finding her kidnapper.

Randy eventually confronts John about his tattoo and where he has been. John is offended by the implication. He can’t believe Randy thinks he would kidnap and abduct girls. He tells Randy that he’s been going out to see his girlfriend. His girlfriend is Jana. John tells Randy that he’s not the only one with a skull tattoo. Denise’s father, Lucas, also has one.

Another girl, Annalise, is abducted.

Randy and Gene arrest Lucas and find a container of homemade chloroform in his house.

Denise tells Jana that she thinks she remembers where she was held. She wants to show her the house in the woods. They find the house and the root cellar, but something doesn’t feel right to Jana. Jana becomes suspicious of Denise. Her story doesn’t add up and it’s not the same MO as the other missing girls. Jana wants to take her back to the police station but Denise pulls a knife on her. Denise attacks Jana when suddenly Eliza Boone appears with a shotgun. She shoots Denise in the leg to stop her.

Randy questions Lucas who swears he didn’t kill anyone. He confesses that Denise’s abduction was staged to get the reward money. It was a conspiracy.

While looking through the evidence, Randy and Gene realize there are missing cuffs like the cuffs used to restrain the dead girls. They realize that there is one other person who has access to the cuffs – Owen Jones, the janitor. His wife died in a car accident, and she drowned in her blood when her ribs punctured her lungs.

They race to Owen’s home and find him torturing Annalise, trying to pump blood into her lungs with a long tube. Randy attacks Owen and he’s arrested. They save the girl.

The police discover that Denise is the one who told Owen that the girls, Mindy, Sara, and Annalise, were responsible for running his wife off the road. Owen blamed them for her death. They never stopped to help her or get help. Denise was hoping that Owen would go after them.

Randy returns home to find his ex-estranged wife waiting for him on the front steps. They begin to talk and heal.