When police discover three 8-year-old boys murdered, mutilated and hogtied in a watery ditch in West Memphis, Ark., the police suspect three teenagers they believe have ties to satanism; soon, locals come forward with startling information.

When Jessie Misskelley confesses to the murder of three young boys, he and his friends are arrested, sending West Memphis into a frenzy; the misfit teens are put on trial and their alleged satanic beliefs are at the heart of the prosecution's case.

Damien and Jason are found guilty of the triple child murder; soon, a worldwide movement arises to prove their innocence and new evidence emerges to bolster their case.