A defense attorney begins to suspect that there might be more to her client, who is charged with the murders of a vacationing family, than meets the eye.
In France, the Porter family is slaughtered while camping in the woods, and only Claire Porter survives, seriously wounded. She reports that her husband Henry and her son Peter have been eaten alive by a strong man. Talan Gwynek, an Eremite who lives in the woods with his mother, is accused of the murders and arrested. Defense attorney Kate Moore is assigned to defend him, and she comes to the police station with her investigator Eric Sarin and animal expert Gavin Flemyng to interview Talan. Unwilling police inspector Klaus Pistor is sure that Talan is the murderer but must let Kate and her team work. There is turmoil in the precinct and Talan scratches Gavin. Then they visit Talan's mother and learn that Talan has a rare disease. Further, the government wants her lands to dispose nuclear waste and her husband has recently died in a car accident. Soon Eric discloses that Mr. Gwynek's death was suspicious and Pistor was in charge of the investigation. When Kate succeeds in sending Talan to a hospital for examination, she discovers the effects of Talan's disease and is responsible for the next events.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
French police, led by Captain Klaus Pistor, question Claire Porter as she recovers in a hospital bed. American tourists vacationing in France, Claire's husband Henry and son Peter were viciously mauled to death in a savage attack by an unknown beast. When Claire makes a claim that the shadowy figure resembled a man, the police arrest brutish local man Talan Gwynek for the murders.
Expatriate attorney Katherine Moore requests to represent Talan. Fellow American Eric Sarin works as her investigator. Kate hires animal expert Dr. Gavin Flemyng, with whom she had a romantic relationship five years earlier, to complete the defense team.
While interviewing Talan at the police station, a struggle breaks out with the authorities. Gavin is scratched by Talan while trying to shield Kate.
Kate's team travels to Talan's remote house in the woods to interview his mother. Mrs. Gwynek tells them that she is originally from Romania. She claims that Talan would have been too physically weak to commit the murders because he suffers from a rare genetic condition passed down through the males in their family. She also makes a claim that the police are targeting Talan because the government wants to take their land for use as a nuclear waste disposal site.
Gavin attempts to flirt with Kate, which spurs resentment from Eric. Gavin also begins feeling gradually more ill since suffering the scratch at the police station.
The defense team comes to believe that Talan may suffer from porphyria (Porphyria (por-FEAR-e-uh) refers to a group of disorders that result from a buildup of natural chemicals that produce porphyrin in your body. Porphyrins are essential for the function of hemoglobin - a protein in your red blood cells that links to porphyrin, binds iron, and carries oxygen to your organs and tissues). While undergoing medical examinations in police custody, a stress test involving a strobe light causes Talan to react violently. Using apparent superhuman strength, Talan kills everyone in the room and escapes the building.
A citywide manhunt eventually traces Talan to an abandoned building. Talan is caught on camera transforming into a werewolf before attacking an armed assault team, falling eight stories to the ground below, and evading capture.
A second manhunt finally corners Talan after he kills several police officers. Talan is riddled with bullets and his apparently dead body is then transported in a police vehicle. Kate and Eric follow the police caravan. The van carrying Talan overturns as Talan comes back to life to continue his rampage.
Meanwhile, Gavin investigates the Gwynek residence and ends up killing Mrs. Gwynek after coming to realize that he now has the same affliction as Talan. Gavin shaves off all of his body hair as he begins giving in to his new werewolf alter ego.
In the commotion at the crash site, Talan kills Eric. Talan moves to attack Kate next, but Gavin arrives to battle the other werewolf. The fight ends when Gavin destroys Talan.
Kate confronts the transformed Gavin at gunpoint. Before she can act, a sniper's bullet fired by Pistor from a police helicopter hits Kate in the stomach. Gavin goes into a rage, throwing an assault team member's body into the chopper and causing it to crash.
News footage in the aftermath reveals that Kate survived. Pistor is implicated in a conspiracy that killed Talan's father George to take the Gwynek's land. Talan Gwynek is confirmed dead and blamed for all of the killings while Gavin's true identity as a werewolf remains secret.
