Phoebe woke from a dream, head pounding. She remembered very little about it, only the presence of a man. She had a vague picture of him, but what she could see clearly was the fact that he was speaking. She wanted to see what he looked like, but couldn't turn her eyes away from his mouth. That was all she could remember. Seeing that it was morning, she got up and went downstairs.

Prue and Piper were sitting at the table, when Phoebe entered and sat down. As she did, she was struck with a powerful premonition. It was the man from her dream. She could see herself cowering in front of him. In the corner, she saw Piper and Prue, struggling to get to her, crying out in anguish. Then, it ended. Piper put her hand on Phoebe's arm. "What is it? What did you see?" "A... A demon, I think. He has to be. He showed up in my dreams and now here." Prue looked slightly alarmed. "In your dreams? What was he doing?" "I... don't know, really. All I can remember about him is that he was saying something. Whenever I want to try and remember his face, I find I keep turning back to what he's saying. Only I can't understand him." Piper raised and eyebrow. "Book of Shadows. I'll go get it." Phoebe nodded, still shaken. While Piper got the book, Prue looked at Phoebe. "What is it? What's wrong?" Phoebe looked her sister in the eye. "Whoever this guy is, he's after me. In my premonition, I was in front of him, terrified. You two were trying to help me, but you couldn't." Prue took her sister's hand. "Well, whoever he is, we won't let him hurt you. He hasn't dealt with anyone quite like us yet." Phoebe tried to take comfort in her sister's words, but found doubt and fear still lingering in her mind. Just then, Piper came down with the book. "I think I've found out who our mystery friend is."

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe sat in the living room as Piper explained what she had found in the Book of Shadows. "He's referred to as The Liberator. Supposedly, when he directs his voice, the Voice of Solitude, at a person, they are forced to hang onto his every word. He then recites an incantation that forces the person into the deep recesses of their own mind, rendering their physical form useless." Piper looked up at her sisters. "So basically, the victim seems to fall into a sort of coma while they become prisoners of their own mind." Phoebe gave her sister a terrified look, dreading the answer to her next question. "Does it say how to defeat him?" Piper re-read the page, shaking her head. "No. It just ends with 'the victim is trapped in their mind for all eternity.'" Prue put a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find some way to get rid of him. We won't let him take you." "I don't think you really have a choice." They jumped with a start and turned to face the voice. They were met by a tall, dark figure dressed in black. Piper and Prue stood protectively in front of Phoebe. The demon laughed. "Such a futile attempt... it only makes this more enjoyable. No, your sister is mine." With that, he threw Piper and Prue out of the way. They hit a wall, but recovered and tried to run back. They were met only by an invisible barrier that held them back. Phoebe turned her gaze from her struggling sisters to the demon that stood threateningly in front of her. He had backed her into a corner and now stood in front of her with a menacing grin. She whimpered and fell back as far as she could go. "Phoebe!" Piper yelled. "Phoebe, don't let him talk to you. Don't listen to his voice!" She slammed into the barrier repeatedly, tears of frustration falling from her eyes. Prue finally held her back, trying to keep her from hurting herself. Piper struggled against her for a moment, then retreated into her sister's arms, both of them watching the horrifying scene unfold. The demon spoke, and his voice had a thick tone that seemed to permeate the air around Phoebe. She tried to close her mind to it, but could do nothing but listen. "You can't struggle. You have to listen." Phoebe stared, catching his every word. She could still hear her sisters' frantic cries. "Phoebe, please! Don't listen to him!" "Block it out, Phoebe, come on!" She understood them and wanted to do what they said, but she couldn't. She couldn't turn away from the demon. He smiled evilly, knowing he had succeeded, and continued his plan. He began to recite in Latin. Prue, horrified but still thinking straight, said "Piper, cover your ears." Numbly, Piper held her hands over her ears, blocking out the deadly spell. Prue did the same. However, they were unable to turn their eyes away from poor Phoebe, whose gaze was riveted upon the Imprisoner. Her knees suddenly seemed to give way, and she began to slide down the wall to the floor. The demon finished, grinning. The last thing Phoebe heard was Piper crying out, "NO!" Then there was darkness.

"NO!" Piper cried in anguish as Phoebe slumped to the floor, unconscious. The demon, his terrible task completed, vanished. The barrier disappeared and Prue and Piper rushed forward. Piper fell to her knees beside her fallen sister. "Phoebe." She shook her. "Phoebe, please..." The unbearable truth began to sink in as Phoebe lay still. Piper began to cry as hugged her little sister. "Wake up." Prue put her arm around Piper, unable to look at the still figure that had only moments ago been her vibrant, free-spirited youngest sister. "I told her I could protect her." Prue whispered, ashamed. "We both tried to help her. And we're going to find a way to help her now, Prue, don't worry. She knows you'll help her. It's you." She looked sadly at Phoebe and took her hand, speaking softly to her, wishing she could hear. "After all, you'd do the same for us." Prue hugged Piper. "Come on. Let's at least make her a little more comfortable. Piper nodded tearfully and they carried their sister up to her bed. There, she seemed to only be in a deep sleep. So innocent. Piper looked at the clock. "Prue, you need to go to work." Prue looked at Piper as if she were crazy. "Are you kidding? I'm not going to work now. Not with her like this." "You need to," Piper said matter-of-factly, "I heard you on the phone yesterday. You said you would definitely be there to close some deal. No matter what. We can't let people think anything is wrong. Every demon and warlock in the city would be on us when we're short one Charmed One." Prue nodded. "You're right." She looked back at the figure in the bed. "I'll stay with Phoebe." As if to prove her statement, Piper pulled a chair up to Phoebe's bedside and sat down in it. She pulled the Book of Shadows into her lap. "And I'll see if there's anything in here about helping her." Prue took one last look at Phoebe. "You'll call me if there's any change?" "I promise." Prue nodded and left. Piper took Phoebe's hand. "Come back to us, Phebes."

Phoebe emerged from the blackness. She didn't recognize where she was. "Oh God," she said, suddenly realizing the truth, "I'm trapped in my own mind." She became suddenly aware of her loneliness. There was nothing but emptiness around her. It weighed upon her and it scared her. Now she knew why the Imprisoner's voice was called the Voice of Solitude. She could hear Piper distantly, but couldn't understand what she was saying. Unwilling to stay in this realm of agonizing isolation, she retreated once again into the darkness, falling into something like sleep.

Piper searched the Book of Shadows, becoming extremely frustrated with the situation. "Wait," she said to herself. She read the passage on the Imprisoner again. She immediately called Prue. "I think I've found what we need."

Later, Prue and Piper sat together in Phoebe's room. "She's alone in her mind. Nobody can bring her out of this but herself. She just needs to know that she can. We have to help her. We have to let her know that she has the power to do this." "How?" "Well, my guess is that we should all hold hands and the two of us should talk to her." Prue looked at her. "It's worth a shot." The held hands, forming a circle. "Phoebe."

"Phoebe." Phoebe jumped, hearing her name clearly. Piper and Prue were there. But how? "Piper, Prue. How can you be here?" "We aren't. Not really. We're still out there." "Listen to us Phoebe, you have to fight. Break out of this." "How?" "How do we do anything? Together. Head out of the darkness, into the light. We're with you." For the first time, Phoebe noticed a bright light. The Imprisoner appeared. "What are you doing? Phoebe, you can't do this." Phoebe faced him. "No. I can. And you can't stop me. This is my mind." She turned to her sisters, or at least the part of them that was there, and took their hands. "Let's go home." They walked towards the light, leaving the Imprisoner behind them. He cried out as he vanished.

Phoebe awoke and sat up, feeling stiff. Her sisters dropped her hands and hugged her tightly. "We thought we'd lost you for good this time." "Never," Phoebe said. "You'll never lose me. Not as long as we stay connected to each other." Prue smiled. "Together whether we like it or not." All three hugged again, happy to be sisters. Happy to be together.