Little James has never seen the outdoor land. Left to grow up by himself, he wonders what the land outside will hold for him if his ominous father ever lets him out. He figures he will never find out what the four walls of his house are hiding from him, until one day his father unexpectedly calls for him...

Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper and Crispin Glover star in this American crime drama. Teenager John Tollett (Daniel Roebuck) strangles his girlfriend, Jamie (Danyi Deats), and leaves her body beside the river. As word gets out among the young people of the town, some are torn between keeping faith with their peers or exposing the crime and risking retribution. Matt (Reeves) and Clarissa (Ione Skye) are uncomfortable keeping silent, while speed freak Layne (Glover) believes that as John's friends they should help him cover-up the murder. Layne and John turn to Feck (Hopper) for advice, the local drug dealer and himself a murderer.