Eric Fisher, a 17-year-old kid with addiction issues, is taken into custody after his mother is brutally murdered in her San Fernando Valley home in 1983. The lead detective on the case, Dave Russell, interrogates Eric while Eric's devastated father, lawyer Henry Fisher, tries to help his son.

In 2003, twenty years after the murder of Mary Fisher, Internal Affairs Officer Sgt. Ian Lynch is assigned to investigate Eric's claim of official misconduct against Russell, now a Lieutenant. Lynch confronts Russell with the allegation, but pressure from the department threatens to derail any chance of a re-investigation. Meanwhile, with the help of a troubled cellmate, Eric discovers a startling piece of overlooked evidence in his legal files.

In the weeks leading up to Mary Fisher's murder, Eric meets Det. Russell for the first time to press charges against Kim Decker, a former girlfriend. Russell suspects the truth is murkier than Eric reported. As Russell investigates the complaint, Eric throws a party at his apartment complex with the help of his older friend and neighbor Trey Carano that quickly spins out of control.

To receive a more lenient prison sentence, Eric pleads guilty and submits to an extensive psychological evaluation. Meanwhile, Det. Russell, convinced of Eric's guilt, does his best to make sure Eric receives the harshest sentence possible.

Eric's friend from rehab, Chris Keller is interrogated about a crime he committed in New Mexico, which brings new information to light that may help Eric's defense. Eric is transferred from a juvenile facility to county jail, where dangerous adult inmates await him.

Thirteen years after the murder, Eric faces his first parole hearing and a real shot at an early release. Det. Russell is determined to keep Eric where he thinks he belongs: behind bars. In a last-ditch attempt to prove his innocence, Eric hires private investigator Charlie Shannon.