Paul and Joanna desperately want, but can't have, children, and so they travel to Columbia in order to adopt a little girl. Joelle is everything they wanted and they are soon devoted to her. However she comes with a nanny, whose job it is to ease them into parenthood. Trusting her, and leaving Joelle in her care, they are horrified to return home one day to find another child in Joelle's place, and to be informed by the nanny that they will never see their daughter again unless Paul agrees to become a 'mule', smuggling drugs into the US. Paul refuses but then Joanna is kidnapped too, and he realises he has no choice. Things don't go according to plan, however: the house which was to be his delivery point doesn't exist, and the lawyer who set him up is murdered. With no one to turn to, Paul enlists the help of his ex- lover, and together they are in a race against time to unravel the conspiracy before Joelle and Joanna are murdered.