Before and After 1996

In a quiet Western Massachusetts town, Dr. Carolyn Ryan, Meryl Streep, and her sculptor husband Ben, Liam Neeson, live with their two children Jacob Edward Furlong and Judith Julia Weldon. Their peaceful life shatters when Sheriff Fran Conklin, Daniel von Bargen, arrives with devastating news: Martha Taverner has been killed and witnesses place Jacob near the scene. The accusation jolts the family, and a tense search for answers begins as Fran asks to speak with Jacob, only to reveal that Jacob isn’t in his room as they thought.

Ben resists without a warrant, and when Fran leaves, he inspects Jacob’s car and discovers a pair of gloves and a car jack stained with blood. In a rash attempt to protect his family, Ben burns the gloves, cleans the jack, and hides the evidence among his art materials before the police return. The revelation shakes Carolyn; she fears that Ben’s actions may have destroyed crucial evidence, even as she dreads the possibility that a killer is still at large. The town respond with suspicion, and signs for Jacob become a flashpoint in a community that ostracizes the Ryans, convinced that Jacob is the murderer.

Over the next five weeks, Jacob sends postcards from cities all across the country. Carolyn believes he has been kidnapped, while Ben urges them to keep the postcards secret rather than alert the authorities. Eventually, Jacob is located in Boston and brought back to face trial. For several days he is catatonic, finally speaking only to enter his plea at the arraignment. The courtroom drama unfolds with the prosecutor Marian Raynor, Kaiulani Lee, pressing for clarity.

Jacob explains to Judith in their treehouse a pattern: he would ride a train to the Boston airport, press a postcard into the hands of travelers headed for the cities on the card, and claim he had just returned from a trip but forgot to mail the card. The travelers would then mail the postcards onward, effectively relaying his message. A harassing call from a townsperson follows, prompting Ben to offer a heartfelt defense of his son, which moves Jacob to open up about what happened.

The truth about Martha and Jacob’s fight begins to surface: Martha revealed she was pregnant and had been sleeping with several other boys, a confrontation that escalated into a violent moment in Jacob’s car. They became snowbound and struggled to free the car; at one point Martha swung a crowbar toward Jacob, and he knocked her down. She landed face first on the jack and was killed. Faced with this new account, Ben chooses not to reveal everything and coaches Jacob on a different version for their lawyer, hoping to spare his family further pain. But the plan unravels when Ben is deposed by the grand jury before Judge Grady, Wesley Addy, and realizes there is no father-son privilege that can shield him.

Carolyn is called to testify and tells the truth, a move that infuriates Jacob’s lawyer, who seethes at the potential impact of hearsay and hostile testimony. A family rift erupts, and Jacob goes missing again, only to reappear at the police station and provide a full confession. Ben refuses to sign, insisting he could never sign away his son. In the end, Jacob is sentenced to five years for involuntary manslaughter but is released after two years with probation, while Ben serves nearly a year for his cover-up. The family ultimately relocates to Miami, trying to rebuild their lives after a case that tests their bonds, their memories, and their understanding of truth.