Safe House

Mace Sowell, a retired DIA agent, believes Admiral Thomas Michelmore intends to silence him. He possesses a cyber dossier exposing Michelmore's schemes, scheduled to auto-send to major newspapers unless he reprograms the mail server every 24 hours with a password only he knows. The release is guarded by a dead man's switch, ready to trigger if he falters. This looming danger drives the entire plot.

In the early stages of Alzheimer's, Mace struggles to convince his family that he is truly under threat. His paranoia grows larger than the facts, making his warnings sound like delusions. He finds it increasingly hard to separate real danger from suspicion, which undermines his credibility with Michelle and even his doctor.

Under Michelle's duress, Mace reluctantly visits psychiatrist Dr. Simon. The appointment aims to assess his mental state and the seriousness of his claims. The visit foreshadows a push toward care or commitment that Mace resists.

Simon warns of the consequences and weighs options for care versus commitment. He suggests either hiring an in-home caregiver or pursuing a competency evaluation if Mace's behavior escalates. The professional advice intensifies the pressure on Mace's household and on Michelle's decision-making.

After a difficult search, Michelle hires Andi Travers to look after Mace. Andi begins background checks and routine changes that immediately meet Mace's resistance. The tense dynamic between caretaker and client deepens.

Andi tries to impose a macrobiotic diet and strict privacy checks, which infuriate Mace. He suspects she is intruding or manipulating him rather than helping. The distrust fuses into a fragile, combustible partnership.

Stu, the pool cleaner who has known Mace for years, becomes a quiet ally by organizing drills. He dresses in quasi-military gear and pretends to break into the house to test Mace's readiness. The routine is meant as friendship, not threat, but it feeds Mace's paranoia.

During one drill, Andi mistakes Stu for a real burglar and seriously injures him with a golf club. She hides the incident by calling Michelle to report a false alarm. The event confirms to Mace that Andi may be involved in a broader conspiracy.

Mace stages a car bomb removal in Michelle's van, prompting her to clamp down on the drills. She forbids further dangerous exercises and starts to push for professional supervision. The escalating risk forces a hard line from Michelle.

Feeling accused and isolated, Mace claims Andi and Stu are conspiring against him. They attempt one final drill to cheer him up, but his subpar performance makes clear his condition is deteriorating. The trust between Mace and his caretakers has broken down.

Mace becomes more dependent on Andi while still believing Michelmore's people are after him. He fires at a neighbor's incoming car, triggering Michelle to remove all weapons and initiate a competency hearing. The danger of his condition collides with legal and familial intervention.

That night Mace reveals the dossier contents and the dead man's switch to Andi, bribing her to help him escape the country. He hopes to buy time and safety by leveraging Andi's cooperation, despite not fully trusting her. The plan shifts from warning to evasion.

That night, Mace sneaks into Andi's space and follows her to her home the next morning, where he discovers she is an agent of Michelmore. The revelation reframes all his suspicions and makes his escape plan appear more dangerous and personal. Trust erodes as the conspiracy widens.

Back at his home, Mace expresses admiration for Andi's ability to fool him. Andi shoots and kills a passing Stu, and Mace pulls a hidden gun and shoots Andi, wounding himself in the process. The brutal clash ends with Andi dead and Mace gravely compromised.

In his final act of clarity, Mace sets off the dead man's switch and calls to report Andi's dead body, but he discovers he cannot remember his own name. The scene closes on his memory collapse, leaving his ultimate fate unresolved. The cycle of paranoia and power politics remains shrouded in ambiguity.