This unflinching drama tells the story of recently released ex-convict Jack Kelson (Jeff Bridges) as he struggles to begin a new life outside of prison and build a relationship with his estranged teenage son Nick (Edward Furlong). With the deck stacked against them, Jack falls back on old habits as they struggle amid the vagrants and criminals of an impoverished section of Seattle. Just when it appears that they might succeed, Jack's past comes back to haunt him.