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A woman is killed while babysitting a young boy, and the killer abducts the child. The brutal act creates a chilling mystery that drives the rest of the story. Police begin a search for the missing boy in the hours that follow.

Months later, a man and a cleaning woman are found murdered at a motel in Amarillo. Sheriff Buck Olmstead faces a tight election as both he and his opponent race to solve the case before Election Day. The killings hint at a single elusive killer operating across the region.

FBI special agent Frank LaCrosse arrives in Amarillo and tells Olmstead that the suspected killer is at large. He drops a personal bombshell: the kidnapped boy is his own son, Andy. The revelation complicates the investigation and fuels a tense collaboration.

Despite initial concerns about his tactics, LaCrosse joins forces with the local sheriff's department. The partnership signals a more aggressive, high-pressure approach to identifying the killer. Olmstead worries about his job and the political implications of working with a suspended agent.

Hitchhiker Lane Dixon becomes a prime suspect as the investigation intensifies. Meanwhile, the evidence points toward Goodall as the killer. The contrasting leads force the investigators to improvise under pressure.

At a mechanic's shop, Goodall abruptly draws a knife on his old friend and kills him to remove a potential link to his car. Dixon remains unaware of this atrocity as the hunt continues. The murder underscores Goodall's willingness to kill to stay free.

On the road, Goodall cultivates a wary rapport with Dixon and reveals that he has a son. He asks Dixon to watch over the boy if anything happens to him and hands over the boy's address. Dixon agrees, unwittingly placing himself closer to the killer's target.

Authorities find that the driver of the white Cadillac matches Dixon's description, but they overlook the treacherous mountain roads during a blizzard. The impassable roads give the killer room to maneuver and complicate the search. The case becomes a high-stakes chase across icy terrain.

Goodall's reckless driving sends the Cadillac over a cliff in the icy backroads. Dixon is hurled into the snow and escapes through the passenger window. Goodall manages to pull Dixon back from the edge and the pair press on toward a small town.

The two men head toward a train, but Dixon overhears locals mentioning the white Cadillac. A radio announcement wrongly proclaims the killer is arrested, sowing confusion. Dixon travels with Tex, another of Goodall's friends, before Goodall murders Tex to prove his ruthlessness.

LaCrosse, after wrecking his own car, pursues the train on foot and intercepts it. He confronts Goodall as Dixon asserts his innocence. The fight spills onto the snow-scraper; Goodall's grip fails and he is fatally impaled on a tree branch, ending his threat.

LaCrosse tends to Dixon, who cannot speak because of his throat wound. Dixon writes the crucial clue on the floor with a felt-tip pen, indicating the boy's address. Following the clue, LaCrosse reaches the neighbor's backyard and finds his kidnapped son playing there.