Twelve-year-old Frankie Bishop is a model kid: quiet and bright. So everyone, especially his family, is shocked when he's arrested for drug possession - and horrified when he's sentenced to juvenile detention at Eldridge Academy. His uncle, Bruce Kantor of the Help Innocent Prisoners Project, wants to help but knows he's too close to the case.

His associate Dani Trumball has family worries of her own to deal with, but she knows Bruce wouldn't ask for help without cause. Just as she and her team begin to investigate, the case gets even thornier: Frankie is missing, and evidence points to an Eldridge cover-up.

As the FBI launches a hunt for the boy, Dani knows something isn't right. Why would a minor's first offense earn such a harsh punishment? Unconvinced by the court documents, Dani is dogged in her pursuit of the truth that will save Frankie's future - if he still has one.