Jack Lassen is a private investigator who lives and works out of a Cold War-era bomb shelter in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. One day, a powerful actor-turned-producer named Patrick Lambert hires Jack to locate his actress wife Emily: a week ago, Patrick returned home to find his house ransacked and Emily and her car both missing. Unsatisfied with the LAPD investigation, Patrick seeks Jack's help. Jack meets with his contact at the LAPD, Detective Laurence Lautrec, who reaffirms that many in the department believe that Emily faked her own kidnapping and ran away, but Jack questions this theory. The next day, Jack visits Emily's sister, Erin, who says that she doesn't know any helpful information, although Jack can tell that there's something she isn't telling him. He questions Emily's coworkers, most of whom are afraid to say anything negative about Patrick, for fear of losing their jobs. Jack also visits Patrick's ex-wife, Haley, a former actress who sells jewelry on the Venice boardwalk after having lost most of her money during the divorce. Jack notices a scar on Haley's leg and asks if Patrick was abusive, but Haley tells him that the scar is from an on-set accident. Laurence tells Jack that the LAPD is beginning to suspect that Patrick killed Emily, and he warns Jack to be careful in his investigation. When Jack returns to his office that evening, two men attack him, pull a bag over his head, and throw him in a van. They drive him to a deserted beach parking lot, where they warn him to stay away from Emily. Jack manages to loosen the drawstring on the hood over his head, allowing him to catch a glimpse of one of the assailants, and he realizes that it's Erin's husband. They drive away, leaving him with a long walk home. At midnight, Jack breaks in to Erin's house and threatens to turn in her husband if he comes near him again. The next day, Erin visits Jack's office and reveals that she has received text messages from Emily every day since she went missing, proving that she was kidnapped but is still alive. When the texts stopped coming three days earlier, Erin worried that the kidnapper felt spooked by Jack's investigation and might hurt Emily, which is why she sent her husband to scare Jack off the trail. Erin also shows Jack that one of Emily's texts contains a code word that refers to a camping spot in the Angeles National Forest. Erin believes that Emily might be held hostage in the forest. Jack drives out to the forest and finds Emily's car and wallet, as well as Haley's earring. Jack tells the police about the whereabouts of Emily's car, then returns to Venice Beach to confront Haley. He warns her that the police will be looking for her, which prompts her to run away. Jack manages to trail Haley all the way to Santa Barbara. He follows her into a real estate office, where he discovers Emily, Haley, and Erin all together. Erin reveals that she led Jack to Emily's car, hoping that he would tell the police that she had been kidnapped. Emily reveals her plan to take up a new identity as a real estate broker in Santa Barbara in order to get away from Patrick, and she shows Jack evidence that Patrick physically abused her. She fears that Patrick would kill her if he ever found her. Haley reveals that the scar on her leg is also from Patrick. She tells Jack that she had to sign a confidentiality agreement when they got divorced, so she couldn't tell anyone how abusive he was. She reveals her plan to also hide out in Santa Barbara with Emily. Emily begs Jack not to tell anyone the truth. He advises them to move further away from Los Angeles and get new Social Security numbers, which he offers to help them procure. On his way home, Jack throws Haley's earring into the ocean. He calls Patrick and tells him that the trail ran cold. Patrick demands his money back and threatens to end Jack's career, before hanging up the phone. Jack decides to go surfing for the first time in a long time.