In 1952, Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is a pillar of his small west Texas community; secretly, he is a antisocial personality disorder with violent sexual tastes. As a teenager, Lou was caught rape a five-year-old girl by his adopted brother Mike, who pleaded guilty to the crime to protect Lou. Released from prison, Mike was hired by Chester Conway (Ned Beatty), and died in a construction “accident” Lou believes was staged by Conway.