The novel's plot revolves around three boys who grow up as friends in Boston — Dave Boyle, Sean Devine, and Jimmy Marcus.

At the beginning of the story, Dave is abducted by child molesters while he, Sean, and Jimmy are horsing around on a neighborhood street.

The novel then moves forward twenty-five years: Sean has become a homicide detective, Jimmy is an ex-convict who currently owns a convenience store, and Dave is a shell of a man.

Jimmy's daughter disappears and is found brutally murdered in a city park, and that same night, Dave comes home to his wife, covered in blood.

It was also nominated for four other Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Eastwood), Best Supporting Actress (Marcia Gay Harden), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Brian Helgeland).