Dave Peterson is a successful and handsome career-driven attorney who barely spends time with his teenage daughter, Karen. Their routine regularly consists of Dave choosing work over spending time with her, and Karen retreating into her journal or iPod. When Dave opens up his 25th high school reunion invitation to see photos of himself - a person he no longer resembles - he begins reconnecting with old friends, including members of his old high school band, The Groaners. Suddenly Dave begins to find ways to spend more time with Karen, and, for the first time, he puts his career on hold.

A young offender on the mend, 19-year-old Cole Hurley agrees to attend a university devoted to prisoner reform. But hope for a turnaround is endangered by his impulsive affair with the seductive Kay Weller, a professor desperate to escape her abusive husband - and Cole is her only way out. But when Kay's husband is found murdered, Cole's education comes with a new lesson: trust no one.