Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his drought-stricken hometown for his childhood friend's funeral, only to reopen a decades-old wound when he discovers his friend was killed by their father Scott Whitlam (John Polson), who murdered the family to cover up embezzlement from the school. As Falk investigates, flashbacks reveal his own past connection to the tragedy and a possible link between Whitlam's crimes and the death of his girlfriend Ellie, whose body was found drowned in a river.