On a cold San Francisco evening, Amber and Katherine Winters, a mother and daughter modeling team, stop at a corner store after work for some much-needed ice cream and is instead met with an action from a desperate man that will put an end to Amber's life, and forever scar Katherine.
That desperate man is Spencer Simon, a man out of luck, with no job and no place to live. Rejected from yet another job, at that same corner market, Spencer is surprised to find himself pulling out a gun instead of the change for his cup of coffee. He is even more surprised when the cashier throws the money at him. When the gun fires, killing the beautiful model as he is trying to flee, Spencer doesn't know what to do-except run, leaving five-year old Katherine crying over her dead mother.
Twenty-seven years later, Katherine is all grown up, and Spencer has a son who, forced to grow up under his father's soul-consuming guilt, is bitter over having lost his childhood. Chad focuses his hatred on Katherine, whom he blames for his problems, and devises a plan to make her suffer as much as he has.
Katherine has now become a successful lawyer, with a longing in her heart for something special: a child. When Chad attempts to enter Katherine's life, she is unimpressed and easily dismisses him. This only angers Chad more, causing him to devise another plan. Chad learns of John Wheaton, the man Katherine is in love with, and upon seeing the strength of their bond, reacts in anger over Katherine's happiness and attacks John, leaving him for dead and Katherine facing another loss in her life.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to appease his guilt and in some way show his son that he loves him, Spencer sits back and watches as his son become this bitter monster.
