Isaiah Reed (Fishburne) hands the keys to his criminal empire down to his son Marcus (Waddell), a decision they both come to regret: his now-former friend attempted to kill father and son; he failed and Marcus exacted vengeance. His mentor, Lt. Terrence Higgins (Rourke), opts to leave him alone if he joins the NYPD. Five years later, he has become part of the department's Street Crime Unit (SCU). But during a police beat, Higgins dies in an explosion. Now, with help from his boss (Hargitay) and a mysterious detective (Walken), he needs to find out what happened, whether or not he walks the straight line of the law.