Long-held racial and economic divisions percolate in Atlanta. When African American children begin disappearing and showing up dead, the city is on the verge of an unprecedented crisis. Outraged members of the black community call for swift action.

As distrust in the police and city officials deepens, citizens take matters into their own hands. The FBI is called upon to step in as conspiracy theories take root. Talent scout Wayne Williams may have been recruiting some of the victims.

As the police face mounting pressure to make an arrest, investigators are led to Wayne Williams, who becomes a prime suspect in the killings and is promptly arrested as a result.

Prosecutors introduce evidence they assert links Wayne Williams to 10 of the child murders. They present evidence of hair and carpet fibres, leading to a swift guilty verdict from the jury.

The story continues as Wayne Williams' appeals attorney receives shocking new evidence implicating members of the KKK in the murders. An undercover informant and several investigators take the stand as a judge evaluates Williams' plea for a retrial.