Dr. Helen Magnus suspects the work of an "abnormal" in a bizarre jewelry robbery that results in a fatal shooting. The thieves take only gold, leaving behind easily accessible diamonds, silver and precious gems. In addition to the selective choice of loot, the culprits make a mysterious getaway that baffles the police. It seems they were able to disappear from a room that had no escape, short of a tiny duct through which no one could possibly fit.

The robbery and inexplicable getaway reminds Will of a case he worked on years before with the FBI, but could never solve. Magnus sheds new light on both cases when she suggests that this may prove the urban legend of the "folding man," a sub-culture of humans able to collapse their skeletons to fit through impossibly small spaces.

Although skeptical of the existence of a folding man, Will is beginning to believe that with Magnus and the Sanctuary, anything is possible.

Comparing Will's old FBI case with the recent robbery leads the team to Oliver Braithwaite, a drifter in Old City who might have the answers they need to prove that folding men are no myth. What he reveals confirms their suspicions, but also throws them

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Dr. Helen Magnus suspects the work of an "abnormal" in a bizarre jewelry robbery that results in a fatal shooting. The thieves take only gold, leaving behind easily accessible diamonds, silver and precious gems. In addition to the selective choice of loot, the culprits make a mysterious getaway that baffles the police. It seems they were able to disappear from a room that had no escape, short of a tiny duct through which no one could possibly fit.

The robbery and inexplicable getaway reminds Will of a case he worked on years before with the FBI, but could never solve. Magnus sheds new light on both cases when she suggests that this may prove the urban legend of the "folding man," a sub-culture of humans able to collapse their skeletons to fit through impossibly small spaces.

Although skeptical of the existence of a folding man, Will is beginning to believe that with Magnus and the Sanctuary, anything is possible.

Comparing Will's old FBI case with the recent robbery leads the team to Oliver Braithwaite, a drifter in Old City who might have the answers they need to prove that folding men are no myth. What he reveals confirms their suspicions, but also throws them into a drug trafficking conspiracy that combines murder and deceit in a twisted criminal plot. It also teaches Will some lessons in solving crimes the Sanctuary way.

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Still overwhelmed by all there is to discover about the Sanctuary, Will Zimmerman, joins Magnus and Ashley on a mission to retrieve an elixir that might be capable of prolonging life.

Aware that the serum will be heavily guarded, the team comes prepared for a fight. But they are not prepared for what they find instead of vials and containers. Inside the crypt that they expected would house the elixir, they find three coffins each containing a woman lying in an unusual green liquid. Although unconscious, all three women are very much alive.

With the women now resting and monitored back at the Sanctuary, Magnus begins researching their possible history and origins. At her mother's request, Ashley does some sleuthing with her contacts in Old City.

As the women awake, Will begins psychiatric examinations to determine who they are and how they came to be locked in the crypt. Remarkably, they remember, or reveal, very little of their lives before arriving at the Sanctuary, but make unusual references to historic events that go back more than a thousand years. Will is convinced they are suffering from delusion, sharing common traits found in kidnapping victims. He shares his diagnosis and concern with Magnus.

Magnus's research turns up another theory, however. She tells Will of an ancient legend dating back to medieval times involving three women with supernatural abilities. According to the legend, their powers were used to destroy their enemies en masse.

Still resistant to believing that he has been analyzing three mythical witches, Will points out that the women have shown no sign of abnormal behavior or aggression. His view quickly changes when strange and powerful vibrations start coming from the main lab where the women have been resting; the force bringing Will and Bigfoot to their knees and knocking out a substantial portion of the facility's diagnostics systems.

Meanwhile, Ashley's intel in Old City offers up an even more urgent warning that the Sanctuary's newest residents are sorely missed by a powerful cabal, a covert group that will stop at nothing to reclaim what it believes to be theirs.

Still unclear as to what, or who, they have in refuge, the team prepares for an all-out battle as the cabal's trackers descend upon the Sanctuary.

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Once inside, Magnus explains that the world is full of nature's mistakes and triumphs and has spectacular proof of the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world. She takes a mystified Will on a tour of the Sanctuary where he can see for himself that "abnormals" do exist outside of his imagination.

She explains that the Sanctuary is a place for all of nature's creations — it is indeed a "Sanctuary for all" — where abnormals are respected and helped and where she can delve into the rich evolution and diversity of life.

While he wraps his head around this astonishing news, Magnus receives a call from her daughter Ashley who informs her she's hot on the trail of the boy and needs backup in the subway tunnels.

Deep underground, Magnus, Will and Ashley find the boy, who reveals his secret in a rather alarming way. Clearly skilled at the chase, Magnus and Ashley manage to bring the boy back to the Sanctuary securely, where they can investigate further.

Will is put to the test right away when Magnus asks him to talk to the boy in spite of the danger he poses. Will uses his insightful psychiatric skills and personal understanding to connect with the young patient, impressing Magnus who urges him to join her team.

The events of the evening now well in hand, Ashley goes out against her mother's wishes. Confronted for the first time by the sinister John Druitt, who possesses a force she has never encountered, a spectacular fight ensues. In spite of her impressive skill and strength, Ashley may have met her match against the mysterious Druitt who has a hidden agenda and baffling knowledge of Magnus.

At the Sanctuary, Will must decide if he will take the leap of faith and join Magnus in this seemingly inexplicable new world, knowing that in doing so, he may find answers to questions he has tried to bury and that have tormented him since he was a child.

Magnus must now confront her own past and consider a dangerous deal with Druitt — one that could unleash his power in inconceivable ways — in order to save her daughter's life.