A Social Worker's Dream, Flashbacks and Nightmares

The story begins with Teresa Medina, formerly a SWAT member, who is now a social worker for the Department of Children and Family Services, recalling a consequential event five years ago. ".... He reached inside his jacket and pulled out his revolver. I aimed at him, ready to shoot first. He smiled, turned his gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. My mouth fell open in shock. I dropped to my knees and sobbed." At the same time, over four thousand miles away, enter two archeologists somewhere in the southeast mountains of Mexico searching for a myth. After many twists and turns, they stumble upon a cave/temple on the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean. It harbors a Lupita doll, preserving the life and soul of an Aztec mother, inside. They accidentally break the doll, releasing her spirit. Exiting in fear, the archaeologists stumbled off the cliff edge to the deadly ocean reefs below. Presently, Teresa is introduced, handling a dangerous gang that interferes with her social work. She's been struggling with her mental health since the death of her husband, Jay, at an unknown archeological site in Mexico, five years ago. She's gotten worse being distant and lacking confidence for the past six months, and her supervisor has noticed. Teresa is sent to Bakersfield to investigate the Carter family, unaware that Mr. Carter and his wife plan to punish their children for playing a game of imagination, which they believe is the Devil's work. However, the parents are stopped by a mysterious woman who is dressed in black, who claims to have known Teresa's husband, Jay. The Aztec mother reveals that she has supernatural powers for saving children, including the ability to become transparent and to touch people's hearts and bring back emotional strength and compassion. As Teresa and the Aztec mother's lives intertwine, they discover the trail of a ring of human traffickers in South Africa. Teresa's law-enforcement instincts kick in. She and the Aztec mother set out to take down a powerful cabal intent on trading and selling children for their own sick satisfaction. The cabal has power, wealth, and connections, and it will take everything Teresa and the Aztec mother to bring them down.