Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) is a college history professor at George Washington University who has been raising his nine-year-old son, Grant (Spencer Treat Clark), alone since the death of his FBI agent wife, Leah. She was killed in the line of duty in a scene loosely based on the real-life Ruby Ridge incident. Somewhat of a specialist regarding American terrorism and due to teaching a class on terrorism at the university, Michael starts to become suspicious of his new neighbors Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), after taking their son, Brady (Mason Gamble), to the emergency room following a reported fireworks accident.