Filled with details of post-Soviet Russia, Red Trance charges through the alleys of St Petersburg and pits Alex's life against a handful of thugs. In the very end, however, after a gruesome murder and Alex's own arrest by the Russian police, only one person is able to identify the awful truth: Alex's sister, Maddy. Deep in hypnotic trance, the uniquely powerful and sightless Maddy visualizes the scene of the crime, revealing the true course of events.