Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of disordered eating, addiction, violence, murder, and attempted suicide. 

Two teams of hikers from Bailey Tennant set off separately for a multi-day hike. The men’s team returns first; they congratulate themselves on their speed and happily climb into the warm van. At first, they joke about the women’s ability to properly read maps, but as the hours pass, the jokes give way to irritation. When night approaches and the women still have not returned, irritation gives way to concern, and the outfitter sends out a search party. After dark, the men hear screaming and see several figures approaching. Of the five women who set out on the hike, only four have returned; Alice is not with them. One of the remaining four women is too injured to walk, and they are all bruised and bloodied.

Federal agent Aaron Falk receives a phone call from his colleague, Carmen. He is at home and has not been planning to work today, but Carmen informs him that Alice Russell has gone missing while hiking in the Giralang Ranges. Alice was on a corporate retreat, and the hike was part of a team-building exercise.