In Toms River, New Jersey, the Marshalls â Rob (Urich) and Maria (Kerns), and their three sons, 18-year-old Roby (Barry Gray), 17-year-old Chris (Jay Underwood) and 12-year-old John (Johnny Galecki) â are an apparently happy family living the American Dream. But in September 1984, Maria is shot and killed, and Rob claims she was murdered by a robber while he was changing a flat tire. When the police commence their investigations, however, they discover unsettling truths about the Marshalls: Rob has secretly accumulated an enormous debt and has secured a second mortgage of $100,000 in Maria's name, and is having an affair with a married neighbor, Felice Richmond (Robin Strasser). Maria had known of the affair, and had considered divorce but decided to work on their marriage shortly before she was killed.
Felice gives the police a statement that Rob wanted to get rid of his wife to collect on her life insurance, and he immediately becomes the prime suspect. At first, Rob's friends and sons support him. But they begin to notice that he does not seem to be in mourning over Maria's death, and Rob's best friend Sal (Joe Spano) is angry that he is more interested in building a future with Felice. Rob is advised by his lawyer not to contact Felice because it could influence his image; this troubles Rob, who is deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, the police have expanded their list of suspects to include Andrew Meyers (Jake Dengel), a Louisiana shop clerk who had contact with Rob concerning his financial problems, and Arnie Eggers, a rumored hitman.
As all evidence seems to point to Rob, Felice breaks off their relationship, which leads him to unsuccessfully attempt suicide in a motel. By this point, Chris admits for the first time that he suspects his father might in fact be guilty. Roby and John are both shocked to hear this, strongly believing in their father's innocence. Rob admits to Sal that he hired Ferlin L'Heureux (William Forsythe), a private detective, on the night his wife was killed to find out how he lost all of his money. Roby has trouble coping with a recent newspaper article in which his mother's personal life has been attacked. Upset, he is almost involved in a car accident. The police find an audio tape which Rob recorded shortly before he attempted to kill himself. On tape, he speaks about L'Hereux, who in turn claims that Ricky Dunlap (David Andrews) was the man hired to murder Maria. On Christmas Eve, Rob is arrested. Roby visits him in jail and is assured by his father that he is not guilty.
The trial begins at the Atlantic Courthouse in 1986. L'Hereux gives detailed testimony in which he claims that Rob hired him to murder Maria so that Marshall could collect on her insurance. L'Hereux states that he found her too beautiful to kill, and contacted Ricky Dunlap to finish the job. Under extreme pressure from the trial, Roby and John are unable to hide their emotions, and Chris turns into an angry young man wanting justice to be served. When the moment comes that Rob asks Roby to give false testimony which would provide him an alibi, it becomes clear to Roby that his father is not the person he thought him to be.
Dunlap is found not guilty. The entire blame goes to Rob, disparaged by prosecuting attorney Kelly (Dennis Farina) as "a legend in his own mind" whom he considers many times worse than Dunlap, even if he was not the one who performed the actual murder. Rob is sentenced to death by lethal injection. The narration reveals that, in 1990, Rob is on death row, waiting for appeal; Roby finished college; Chris became a swimming instructor; and John, who married at age 17, never stopped believing in his father's innocence.
WHO TURNS INTO AN ANGRY YOUNG MAN WANTING JUSTICE ?
CHRIS