故事发生在位于美国新英格兰的一个恬静小镇之中,卡罗琳(梅丽尔·斯特里普 Meryl Streep 饰)和本(连姆·尼森 Liam Neeson 饰)是居住在那里的一对夫妻,两人共同抚养着儿子雅各布(爱德华·福隆 Edward Furlong 饰),生活平静而又美满。卡罗琳是一名医生,因此在小镇上享有着很高的名望,深得邻居们的信赖和喜爱。 然而某一天,噩梦突然降临到了这家人头上,雅各布被指控谋杀了他的女友,并且就此失去了音讯。居民们对于卡罗琳一家人的尊敬也很快转变为了质疑和敌视。尽管诸多的证据都指向了雅各布就是真正的凶手,但卡罗琳和本依然坚信,雅各布不可能犯下杀人的罪行。When teenage son Jacob is being accused of murdering his girlfriend, the well-respected and close-knit Ryan family is in turmoil. Jacob flees, father Ben destroys possible evidence, the village community turns hostile and mother Carolyn is forced to temporarily close her doctor's practice. Then Jacob gets arrested and soon finds himself and his family entangled in a web of truth, trust and lies, all on his way to court.