As a child, Daniel Rolle idolizes his father, Donald, and thinks his family is happy, but when things start to go wrong, he begins to realize that his father's growing rage and unrelenting cruelty are causing everyone to suffer. After a childhood spent wrestling with the conflicting emotions of both loving and fearing his own father, when Donald's rage ultimately leads to murder, Daniel finds himself with his father's life in his own hands.

Seven-year-old Deborah Brashers' father, Robert, kills himself in a hotel room, and for 20 years, she struggles to understand why. Neither she - nor the police - have any idea he'd been living a secret double life as a serial killer.