Down south in Florida a high school counselor, Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) gets accused of sexually assaulting a student, Kelly Lanier Van Ryan (Denise Richards). He begins to be investigated by Sgt. Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) and starts to see his seemingly normal world come crashing down. As he is being investigated Duquette begins to think that something bigger is going down in a conspiracy between the two and Van Ryan’s classmate, Suzie Marie Toller (Neve Campbell). While trying to clear his name Lombardo hires a lawyer, Kenneth Bowden (Bill Murray), to help him in court. As the case unfolds everything that was once thought is no longer as it seems.