Vietnam veteran Charlie Alderfer hires Ben, an 18-year-old hard-working student, whom teachers, coaches, classmates, and their parents adore. But when his adoptive parents accuse him of a crime he didn't commit and police terrorize him into pleading guilty to something, Ben believes them and confesses to make the charges go away.
Outraged, Charlie takes Ben to a polygraph expert who confirms his innocence, but his accusers refuse to back down. Charlie hires a lawyer who withdraws the guilty plea, but Ben's only defense is his word against a little girl's.
Incensed by the impending miscarriage of justice, Charlie risks his own life to uncover the truth. Everyone lies—except Ben. Charlie's digging exposes them both to an ongoing criminal enterprise.