Hayley's engagement party to Brad goes off without a hitch, until she gets into a row with ex-boyfriend Colin, which sends her into tears. Colin & Brad's brother Rob offers to drive her home after seeing her drunk and crying in the hotel lobby. She agrees and they take off. After she nearly throws up in his new car, Rob gets her to stop on the side of the road to a park, where she vomits, then, after Rob scolds her for her behaviour at the party, runs away from Rob.
Stumbling along the street, she comes across a man who asks her for a ride. She initially confuses him with Rob and gets into the car, apologizing for being so brash, but soon realizes it isn't him when he drives her out into a wooded area and rapes her. After struggling, she's knocked unconscious and thrown out of the car into the ditch. Hayley wakes up but cannot remember anything at all. Her name, her life, and has difficulty speaking, and writing.
Hayley is found by a small town country doctor by the name of Michael Branson. Michael is a therapist with a long history of miraculous results, but that was as Michael Lewis, son of Patrick Lewis, a longtime associate and friend of Brad's father, Jackson Davis. Michael explained that he disapproved of his family's business dealings, and was under constant pressure by his father to enter into the family business. Michael preferred to remain a doctor, and upon realizing his sexuality, and dealing with increasingly invasive press due to his family's shady business dealings as well as his own increasingly controversial therapy methods, Michael moved away and changed his identity to start anew in the small town of Collingwood.
Brad, meanwhile, was intent on finding Hayley at all costs. His father was dubious, having spent years in constant rivalry with Hayley's family, the Carters, and specifically with Hayley's father, Joe. Joe and Jackson battled constantly, with Joe being the poor underdog for the young Marian's affections. Marian eventually married Jackson, choosing the good life over her deep affections for the good man Joe was. As such, Jackson was always suspicious of Joe and wanted him and his family far away from him and his family. However, Joe took up work at Jackson's company, working in the factory. Eventually Joe became head of the local union, becoming a thorn in Jackson's side, and exacerbating the family's rivalry.
Brad increasingly takes more and more days off to track down his bride-to-be. The local police provide some help, but there are no witnesses to Hayley's disappearance, and Brad increasingly blames Rob for the disappearance, creating a rift between the brothers.
Hayley recovers slowly, but still doesn't remember anything about herself. Michael asks what she wants to be named, Hayley overhears someone on the radio named Hillary, and takes on that name, not realizing it's a clue to her past. She is finally able to verbalise, but has a lot of difficulty doing so. Hailey listens to the radio endlessly, studying the sounds and struggling to make them out. She's often extremely frustrated and wants to rely on Michael for help, yet is extremely unsure and scared of him in a way she cannot explain. Michael begins to wonder what kind of trauma Hillary's been through, and contemplates heading into the city to find a psychiatrist who would be able to treat Hillary.
Brad and Joe work out ways to find Hayley, since the police have hit nothing but dead ends in their search. Brad offers to take out an ad on television and on radio to find Hayley, but to no avail, initially. Their luck changes soon after, though.
Michael decides the time is right to bring Hillary in to meet with a psychotherapist, hoping that the key to unlocking her memories is tied into alleviating the effects of her possible traumas. Michael takes her to Grace Free Hospital to meet with an old colleague of his, Dr. Alisha Williamson. Alisha seems able to get through to Hillary with considerable ease, and Hillary seems more relaxed with Alisha than she ever has with Michael. After their short meeting, Alisha asks Michael if he had contacted the police to try to find out who this girl is. Michael explains that he can't go to the police, and that coming to the hospital was enough of a risk for him, considering his family's history, he shouldn't be at the hospital for too long either lest he risk his own safety, as well as Hillary's. Alisha's ambivalent, but knows Michael's a good man, and wishes him luck and to keep safe. She promises to head out to his cabin to begin therapy sessions for Hillary as soon as possible.
On the way to the parking lot, Hayley's sister, Dr. Stephanie Carter, sees Michael and Hillary get into the car. Recognizing her as Hayley, Steph calls out to Hayley, but it's too late as they get into the car at the same moment that she calls out to them, and they then drive away. Stephanie calls home. Joe arranges a meeting between the Carters and the Davises to try to sort out what Stephanie saw. Steph remembers the colour and make of the car, as well as the fact the license plate was from out-of-state. Brad informs the police and two officers are sent to take Steph's statement. The officers promise to inform Brad and the Carters if anything comes of Steph's lead.
While driving back to the cabin, Hillary has a flashback to the night of her disappearance, and as they pass by the place where she was picked up by her rapist, has a quick flashback. She has a mild panic attack and Michael pulls over and tries to calm Hillary down. Hillary doesn't want him near her, and gets out of the car once she can breathe again. Michael backs off to allow her time to relax. Once Michael is able to talk her down again, she tells him about her flashback, and Michael reassures her that nothing will happen to her. They get back in the car and head to the cabin.
That evening, Michael's planned something special for Hillary. He plans to make his parents' fish & chips. Michael and Hillary share a moment when he helps her try to fry the fish in the pan full of oil. A vaguely romantic moment that nearly leads to a kiss, but Hillary flashes back to her rape and demands Michael get off her. He complies, and begins to realize what has happened to her. Michael tries to comfort her, but Hillary still won't let him touch her. Michael and Hillary sit down and talk things through, calming Hillary's nerves. She apologizes for being such a nervous wreck all the time, and Michael insists he doesn't mind, and that he just wants her to get better and remember her life. They finish dinner and have a wonderful evening. Michael leaves the pan of oil on the stove to cool down before he disposes of it, and heads to bed shortly after dinner.
The next morning, Michael heads into town to pick up some food and some supplies for the cabin. Hillary wakes up and heads into the kitchen. She intends to put the kettle on to make tea, but can't remember how to hold a pot. After struggling with it, she manages to fill the kettle and set it on the stove. She turns on the heat. Hillary hears a noise out back which startles her and causes her to knock over the oil pan from the previous night's meal. The oil starts a fire, and Hillary, in a panic, throws water on the fire to stop it, intensifying the grease fire and causing the flames to erupt suddenly, throwing her backwards. She hits her head against the table and is knocked unconscious. Michael arrives in time to save her, but the cabin is engulfed in flames.Michael drives her into the small town's clinic to get medical assistance.
Simultaneously, the police come through and inform Brad of the car Stephanie saw Hayley in at the hospital parking lot. Brad and Colin head out in their car with the police guiding them to Michael's cabin, only to find it burned to the ground, and no sign of the car in question or that anyone was home. The fire department have doused the fire, but there are no bodies, but Brad's informed the chances anyone survived the fire are slim to none. Colin tries to keep Brad's hopes up that Hayley is still alive, but Brad isn't so sure, though he vows not to give up.
The local clinic demands that Hillary be sent to Grace Free Hospital in Two Harbours. Michael is hesitant to go back there where people may recognize him, but relents, especially when he's told that Hillary's badly burned and may require reconstructive surgery to her face and body, as well as treatment for her head injury.
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