When 19-year-old aspiring artist Sarah Stern goes missing just weeks before Christmas 2016, investigators initially suspect she may have died by suicide or run away from home. Then, in January 2017, one of Sarah's former high school classmates comes forward with chilling information that leads to an undercover police sting and the shocking arrests of two very familiar faces. Armed with a bombshell, caught-on-tape confession from one of the suspects and the damning testimony of the other, Monmouth County, New Jersey prosecutors face the uphill task of trying to secure a murder conviction without a body for only the second time in the state's history. Features interviews include Sarah's father, detectives and prosecutors, along with complete access to archival materials detailing the search and the undercover sting operation.

On October 20, 2014, white Chicago PD Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shoots 17-year-old African American Laquan McDonald in an act that he and the Chicago PD called "self-defense". However, when freelance journalist Jamie Kalven gets word from a source that there is more to the story, his search for the truth uncovers a disturbing cover-up. Through his efforts, as well as the efforts of fellow journalists and activists, officials are finally forced to release the police dash cam footage from that fateful night. Public uproar results in Officer Van Dyke's arrest on first-degree murder charges, and in the midst of a media circus, the case goes to trial.