While working as a gardener on the estate of a wealthy couple, Mike and Laura Pryor, Kimble is mistakenly abducted by Harold and Irene Cheyney. Harold is a Korean war veteran and former factory worker whom lost the use of his legs after a truck owned by the Pryor's company hit him. After writing several letters to Mike Pryor asking about work and disability compensation, none of the letters were answered, so Harold decides to kidnap Mike for a $100,000 ransom. But since Harold and Irene have never met or seen Mike Pryor they happedned to abduct Kimble instead after seeing Mike's son, Glenn, give more affection to Kimble than his distant father.

Kimble arrives in a small town where women are being murdered by an unknown serial killer and a vigilante mob mistakes Kimble (a stranger in town) of being the killer. Kimble hides out with a young woman with learning difficulties named Joanne Mercer, a 'moon child' befriends Kimble and hides him in the basement of her house which is connected by a underground tunnel to a closed-down textile factory where the real killer is hiding out.