In the small fishing town of Nightmute, Alaska, a local 17-year-old girl named Kay Connell (Crystal Lowe) is found murdered. Two LAPD detectives, Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) are sent up to assist the local police with their investigation.

Concurrently, an intense Internal Affairs investigation back in Los Angeles is about to put Dormer under the microscope. Dormer is, in fact, guilty of planting false evidence against at least one suspect in this earlier case, a man named Dobbs. Certain that Dobbs was responsible for kidnapping and murdering a young boy, but realizing that there was not enough evidence to support a conviction, Dormer planted forensic evidence in Dobbs’ apartment. Dormer fears that many of his legitimate convictions will be overturned if Internal Affairs discovers that he falsified evidence in the Dobbs’ case. He does not want his life’s work destroyed, nor does he want these criminals back on the streets. Early in the movie, Dormer’s partner, Eckhart, reveals that Internal Affairs has offered him an immunity deal in exchange for his testimony. Dormer tries to talk Eckhart out of it, but Eckhart, apparently complicit to some degree in Dormer’s misdeeds, says that ultimately he must look out for himself and his family first, so he feels he has no choice but to accept the deal.