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.

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.

As riots erupt after the Rodney King verdicts, Henry Fisher pays an emotional visit to Eric in prison and confronts him with a very difficult question. Eric, entangled in a deadly prison feud, faces a tough decision and must decide where his loyalties lie.