Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) lives in fear of a past he can’t remember, spending his working hours driving a cab in New York City, talking compulsively about the conspiracies he thinks lurk behind everything. Alice (Julia Roberts) is a dedicated Justice Department attorney working in New York, living with compulsions of her own: since her father, a noted federal judge, was mysteriously murdered several years ago, Alice has been unable to accept the official explanation of his death – or the identity of the killer.

Alice has little patience for Jerry and his eccentricities. But when Jerry is abducted by the enigmatic Dr. Jonas (Patrick Stewart), an urbane government psychiatrist, and the escape from the horrific encounter nearly kills Jerry, Alice, who now feels compelled to listen, suddenly finds herself — along with Jerry — in a desperate flight for their lives. In the process, they discover the truth about a shocking event that reveals secrets both of them must understand.