After Carlos, an impoverished teen from a fractured home, receives a desperate note from Sarah, a pen pal he lost touch with a year ago, he uses her letters to solve the mystery of her disappearance and crimes she may have been a part of.

挣扎求生的单亲父亲杰瑞（Jerry）将儿子乔（Joe）引入了主权公民运动的歧途，向他灌输“法律只是幻象，自由要靠自己夺取”的理念。然而，当杰瑞的极端思想逐渐吞噬父子二人时，他们便与一位毕生都在捍卫法治的警察局长注定冲突——后者所竭力维护的规则，正是杰瑞穷其一生所践踏的对象。