 Matt Benson, an FBI investigator, has been posted to the island of Panarea in the Lipari archipelago within the framework of an agreement between the USA and Italy. He has been allocated a comfortable, well-protected house with vast grounds and a private cove facing the Ginostra volcano. This delights his wife Jessie and their 5-year-old daughter Tina. A few days after they arrive, a 11-year-old boy, Ettore Greco, a Mafia victim, is questioned by Matt about the death of his whole family in a car bombing. For security reasons, Matt decides to bring Ettore to the house where he is living. This artificial adoption gradually reveals the tragic secret binding Matt to the child, a secret Jessie knows nothing about. From secrets to lies, the atmosphere in the villa slowly leads the Benson family to the gates of hell. Outside is the danger, inside is the fear. In between is an orphan child...