A friThe police suspect Henry Teague of the abduction and murder of a young teen but lack proof. They use the Mr. Big procedure to elicit a confession while continuing to search for evidence. Undercover police officer Paul Emery introduces himself to Teague during a long bus ride and strikes up a friendship with him. After gaining Teague's confidence and sympathy, Emery introduces him to a criminal acquaintance, Mark Frame. Frame, who is also an undercover police officer, offers Teague low-level work in a supposed criminal organisation. Frame and Emery emphasise that the organisation values honesty above all, and they push Teague to reveal any criminal history that could jeopardise it. Teague admits to having been in and out of jail, culminating in a two year sentence for assault, but claims to be otherwise clean.

The undercover officers portray Emery as having got himself into a great deal of trouble, which the organisation clears up through their police contacts. Teague is recruited in helping to get a fake passport and plane ticket out of the country for Emery. Before pretending to leave the country, Emery urges Teague to trust Frame and be honest with the organisation, which he says will protect him. Frame becomes a mentor to Teague, drawing him further into the organisation and introducing him to increasingly influential figures, all of whom are secretly undercover police officers. Frame relays any information gained from Teague to Detective Senior Constable Kate Rylett, who investigates it further.

Rylett finds holes in Teague's alibi for the night of the abduction and, under a different name, uncovers a criminal conviction for the assault of another child, convincing her of his guilt. After Teague briefly disappears, the police fear he may be getting anxious. Police officers pretending to be dirty relay information to Teague that he is about to be charged. Frame tells Teague that the head of the organisation, John, needs to see him. John reminds Teague that his organisation can give him a new life, like they did with Emery. To make this possible, John says Teague must reveal all the details of the crime so the evidence can be erased. Frame becomes agitated as John nervously bumbles some of his lines. However, Teague is convinced to confess and takes the undercover police officers to the scene of the crime, where he is arrested. After a long and painstaking search for evidence, one of the dozens of officers finds something in the dirt.

Haunted by the case, Frame has trouble sleeping and becomes overprotective of his young sonendship forms between two strangers. For Henry Teague, worn down by a lifetime of physical labor, this is a dream come true. His new friend Mark becomes his savior and ally. However, neither is who they appear to be, each carry secrets that threaten to ruin them and, in the background, one of the nation's largest police operations is closing in.