After serving 50 years in prison, a reformed high-profile serial killer is recruited by a homicide detective to catch his own sadistic copycat. In 2003, 70 year old Charlie Sorland is conditionally released from death row for good behaviour and societal contributions after serving 50 years for serial murders. With a news story on his release and his dedication to deter others from violence, impressionable Jason Lutra sees the story and takes an unhealthy interest in Charlie which leads to Jason emulating Charlie's past. As new murders begin to occur by way of Charlie's old m.o., Detective Brent Lowe takes notice of the similarities and employs Charlie's help in getting into the mind of his own copycat killer with promises of a full pardon for the catch.
When fiction novelist Adrian Aytese falls terminally ill, he lets his sister Paige in on a secret book he scripted in a journal. The book details his exhaustive search for a mysterious lady of his past dreams. A special sand given to him by his elder friend Bud is intended to help Adrian sleep more peacefully, but instead, Adrian's dreams and realities begin to lose boundaries as his darkest fears and happiest memories collide. As Paige delves deeper, she realizes that the book may not be as fictional as she thought - and Bud may not be who she thinks he is.