Jeff Harriman (Kiefer Sutherland) goes on vacation with his girlfriend Diane Shaver (Sandra Bullock), who vanishes without a trace at a gas station. Three years later, Jeff, who is attempting to write a novel and joins the military, is still obsessed with finding out what happened. He meets a woman named Rita (Nancy Travis) who cracks a code using several letters of Diane's name, accessing Jeff's rough draft of a children's book. Jeff finally tells the truth about how Diane disappeared, develops a relationship with Rita, and burns the missing posters of Diane.