The shooting of an East Texas football coach inside the high school fieldhouse triggers a lockdown in the middle of a school day. As police race to track down an active shooter, they discover a community deeply divided by the coach's past.

Drum major Robert Champion suddenly dies in the back of the Florida A&M marching band bus, mystifying authorities; an autopsy points to foul play, leading to an investigation that exposes a secret inside one of America's premiere marching bands.