Eric Fisher, a 17-year-old kid with addiction issues, is taken into custody after his mother is brutally murdered in her San Fernando Valley home in 1983. The lead detective on the case, Dave Russell, interrogates Eric while Eric's devastated father, lawyer Henry Fisher, tries to help his son.

To receive a more lenient prison sentence, Eric pleads guilty and submits to an extensive psychological evaluation. Meanwhile, Det. Russell, convinced of Eric's guilt, does his best to make sure Eric receives the harshest sentence possible.