 Soft-spoken 16-year old Leland Fitzgerald (Gosling) commits a seemingly senseless murder that shocks his community, affecting both his victim s family and his own. Arrested and imprisoned in a juvenile detention facility, Leland comes in contact with an aspiring writer and prison teacher, Pearl Madison (Cheadle). As Pearl delves into the mystery of Leland s crime, he also sees the chance for a career-making book as the boy s estranged father is the world-renowned author, Albert Fitzgerald (Spacey).