Dr. John Dale Cavaness, better known as Dr. Dale, arrives at the St. Louis apartment of his 22 year old son, Sean. The two reconnect as they remember much of their complicated, difficult family history together. They drink and talk at length, before eventually deciding to go out on a nighttime drive. Sean is oblivious of his father's growing disgust with him, and Dr. Dale grows more and more fed up with Sean's presence, weighing the benefits Sean might pose to him if he were, in fact, not around anymore.

When domestic abuse and alcoholism intertwine, it seems no-one can escape a tragic end. Hot tempered James Duncan arrives home after an evening at the bar, he tries to take his displeasure out on his wife and family, but it's up to them to protect each other from a tyrant, leading to circumstances previously unimagined. A family desperate to protect each other will go to lengths so extreme, that not even the police can believe what's happened.