When a 17-year old girl goes missing, family man and distinguished college professor, Evan Birch's (Guy Pearce) life is turned upside down as circumstantial evidence convinces gruff police Detective Malloy (Pierce Brosnan) that Birch is a prime suspect. As Malloy begins to peel back the layers of Birch's past indiscretions with female students, and his wife (Minnie Driver) begins to question his alibi, Birch's life starts to unravel, and suddenly the questions that he's faced with aren't merely academic – they're a matter of life and death.