A beloved high-school teacher empowers a group of vigilantes to exact revenge against the criminal who attacked his wife, but he begins to regret his decision when the clandestine crime fighters demand that he kill a man in return. Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) and his wife Laura (January Jones) were just a typical happy couple until the night a shocking act of violence left them feeling victimized and vulnerable. Later, as Laura begins her slow recovery in the hospital, a concerned stranger (Guy Pearce) approaches Will with an offer to save them the suffering of a drawn-out trial by promptly dispatching his wife's assailant. Though the help he offers is free of charge, the stranger makes it clear that he may call on Will to repay the favor sometime in the future. When that day comes and Will realizes the true price of revenge is too high for him to pay, the men who once agreed to help him suddenly become his worst enemies. Jennifer Carpenter and Harold Perrineau Jr. co-star.