A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.

Ryan Gosling
as Leland P. Fitzgerald

Don Cheadle
as Pearl Madison

Chris Klein
as Allen Harris

Kevin Spacey
as Albert T. Fitzgerald

Jena Malone
as Becky Pollard

Lena Olin
as Marybeth Fitzgerald

Michelle Williams
as Julie Pollard

Martin Donovan
as Harry Pollard

Ann Magnuson
as Karen Pollard

Kerry Washington
as Ayesha