SEXUAL TERROR & BENEFICIAL STRANGERS

Sara, a widowand childless retired schoolteacher from NYC, visits her stepbrother in Rio de Janeiro. Walking the streets alone, she comes upon a 12-yr-old American child lying in a doorway ill and filthy. Sara takes the child to a hospital. The child seems well mannered but does not speak much.

Shortly before this, the FBI and DOJ had begun seriously looking into abducted children taken from the U S Deep South down to the narco-porn world of Latin American brothels.

Sara’s nephew, Raoul, is very macho. He went to college in the US at UCLA, fled the States after knocking a bully down a flight of stairs, fracturing his skull. Raoul fled the States. A former juvenile delinquent in Rio, he now spends his days picking up girls on the beach with 2 huskier pals (the Rio trio).

For weeks, Sara sits with Leslie in the hospital. She remains a mystery to Sara, who suspects the girl was sexually abused and then abandoned. Raoul takes an interest in Sara's helping this street child.

Sara and Raoul bring Leslie home from the hospital. She is prettied up now, and a strange bond begins between Raoul and Leslie, despite their age difference. She is 13, he is 22. When Sara prepares to bring Leslie back to New York, to search for her parents with the help of the FBI, Raoul decides to come too.

In NYC, Skip Boehmer of DOJ visits Sara's apartment in Queens. The DOJ helps send Leslie to an abducted-child specialist, a NYC psychiatrist on their payroll. Dr Farbinger gently probes into some of the sexual terror Leslie faced, jogging her protective defense of a foggy memory.

The FBI locates Leslie's parents in Mississippi; they call -- and Leslie refuses to speak with them. Sara convinces them that Leslie is now safe but needs healing time. Raoul wants to work with the FBI to find João, hits bars in a Latino section of Queens, asking questions, making dangerous contact. He is unwittingly followed by a Rio felon, who calls João. João fears Leslie will talk to the FBI. He orders the felon to snatch Leslie, meet the kidnap pilot in Florida and bring Leslie back to the jungle brothel in Rio for questioning and murder.

Raoul convinces the FBI to hire him. He flies back to Rio, where his buddies have scouted out two jungle brothels. In Rio Raoul gets a call from Skip Boehmer, who tells him that Leslie has been kidnapped again. He and his buddies are soon sitting in 2 cars by the right jungle brothel as day comes up. They stay in touch with the US Embassy, which tells them Boehmer is on his way with Brazilian authority (paratroopers). Also, Boehmer believes Leslie is on a light plane that will soon land nearby. Raoul parks before the compound. João comes out and Raoul gets the drop on him, forces him into his car and to the airstrip.

As Raoul sees a small plane that has landed, João tries to escape. Raoul ends up killing João and shooting the pilot in the leg. Raoul is in touch with Boehmer by cell phone as the Brazilian copters arrive at the hideout. Paratroopers shoot up the place, freeing the sexual captives.

Next, we find Leslie in her new home in Memphis, where the FBI has helped her folks move. She is making admirable progress. Sara stays in contact with Leslie. We learn that Leslie is overcoming her down days, and Raoul has replaced his executive father at work, injured in a suspicious accident. He is taking Boehmer’s advice to keep out of trouble. Even as he helps to protect his father's interests by his muscled presence.