Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) arrives at a hospital severely injured, telling the police that she's been the victim of an attempted rape and the delinquents have kidnapped her four-year-old son.

Lorenzo (Samuel L Jackson), a police detective, hears Brenda's story and takes on the case. The police blame a black man for the kidnapping, which causes a big-mass protest against the black community. The task is tough for Lorenzo, who must deal with the case and with the pressure of the protest.

But something is missed in Brenda's story. Is she ready to tell the truth about what really happened?