The Tie That Binds

John Netherwood and Leann rob a house to feed their daughter Janie and terrorize the elderly residents. John photographs them with a Polaroid before killing them, escalating the horror of their crime. A suspicious neighbor calls the police, setting the danger in motion.

Officer David Carrey arrives at the scene and shoots John in the shoulder, forcing the Netherwoods to flee with Janie. Leann helps drive the escape as the couple disappears into the night, leaving the crime behind.

Following the police intervention, Janie is taken into an adoption agency. The experience profoundly unsettles her as her trauma from her parents begins to surface, including nightmares and hiding behaviors.

Los Angeles architect Russell Clifton and his wife Dana decide to adopt Janie and welcome her into their home. The couple is unaware of the danger lurking from Janie's biological parents, but her charm and resilience begin to heal them in different ways.

Janie's trauma manifests with nightmares and compulsive behaviors, like hiding in the closet and keeping a bread knife under her pillow. She explains to a child psychologist that the knife protects her from the 'Tooth Fairy', revealing how fear has shaped her world.

Leann takes Officer Carrey from a bar and drives him to his home, where John brutally beats him to force him to reveal the adoption agency. After obtaining the information, the Netherwoods kill Carrey to cover their tracks.

The Netherwoods arrive at the adoption center, interrogate Maggie Hass, and kill her to locate Janie. Their brutality shows the depth of their obsession and pushes the Cliftons further into danger.

The Cliftons decipher from police records that Janie's biological parents are on the run, confirming the threat to their adopted daughter. They go into hiding with Janie to keep her safe from the Netherwoods.

Leann attempts to kidnap Janie at her school, but the plan fails, forcing the Netherwoods to intensify their search. The Cliftons realize they must go into hiding once more to protect Janie.

The Netherwoods track the Cliftons to Lisa Marie Chandler's hospital, where she has just given birth. Leann threatens to harm the newborn to coerce information about Janie's location, pressuring Lisa Marie to reveal where the Cliftons fled.

The Netherwoods locate the Cliftons at Russell's unfinished house and abduct them, tying them to improvised gallows. Leann distracts Janie while John sets the house on fire, creating a deadly trap.

Jan e and Dana escape during the chaos, and the battle spills into the woods. John kills Leann in a rage after realizing he has lost his daughter to Dana, and Russell arrives to kill John with an axe. With the Netherwoods dead, Janie finally accepts the Cliftons as her family.