sheridan, a gambling addict, has taken to abducting children for a man known as mr. wizard in order to pay off his enormous debts to a mobster who has threatened sheridan with grievous bodily harm; wizard has told sheridan only that the children go "on a boat ride" (implicitly for human trafficking overseas), and sheridan wants no further information. while lurking in a mall parking lot in his modified van, sheridan spots his newest probable target of opportunity - a child standing near the entrance, obviously separated from his parents and distressed. sheridan approaches him, convincing him that he has seen the child's popsy (as the boy calls him).