To save himself or be left to die in the wilderness, a young lawyer must defend his fugitive captor accused of murdering his family.

SYNOPSIS:

The remote Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina is the retreat that AARON BAXTER, 33, needs to find clarity in his life. After yet another breakup, the young defense attorney is beginning to understand the difference between confidence and arrogance—his overly cocky attitude the deciding factor in his failed relationships. His latest attempt to get things right, LIZ GONZALEZ, 29, sets him straight and walks away, though she doesn’t completely cut ties, seeing something more in Aaron.

Aaron’s three-day solo mountain biking trip is meant to be soul-searching. But when he decides to veer far off the beaten path, tragedy strikes. He’s chased and attacked by a mountain lion that leaves him severely injured and unable to call for help. With limited food, water, and a broken leg, he’s forty miles from anyone and he knows he’s in trouble. Unlikely that search and rescue would find him, he decides to save himself. His only hope is to stumble, crawl, and keep calling for help.

Shortly into his self-rescue trek, Aaron passes out from exhaustion and is discovered by DONAVAN MICHALES, 37, a fugitive living in the wilderness and on the run after being accused of his wife’s murder. Donavan can easily leave Aaron to die to protect his hideout but instead follows his conscience. But Aaron’s relief quickly turns when he learns Donavan’s identity. The circumstances surrounding the home fire that killed Donavan’s wife and unborn child form the prosecution’s case. Without an alibi, and just enough of a believable motive, Donavan was caught in a legal trap, leading him to flee.

After hearing Donavan’s side of the story, Aaron realizes Donavan faces a tough choice: either he kills Aaron to maintain his fugitive status or he turns himself in, saving Aaron in the process. Aaron’s only chance at survival is to strike a deal—he pledges to defend Donavan in exchange for his life. It’s a huge gamble with only Donavan’s version of events, no evidence to review, and Aaron risking his law firm’s reputation.

Tired of hiding and desperate to clear his name, Donavan returns to jail, emerging from the wilderness to turn himself in and save Aaron. Aaron’s law firm forbids him from working on the case, forcing him to resign to keep his promise to Donavan. With limited resources, Aaron turns to Liz for help. She goes undercover and finds electronic evidence that Donavan was framed by the company he was auditing after he discovered millions of dollars were being embezzled. The company’s attempt to silence Donavan inadvertently led to the death of his family. As Aaron is committed to clear Donovan’s name he’s conflicted about his innocence as he continuously finds suspicions of infidelity.

Although Liz’s covert actions are successful her evidence alone isn’t enough to prove Donavan’s innocence. With the trial underway, Aaron knows he needs an intervention stroke of luck, or this high-profile case will doom his client and his career.