Times are tough for black people in Apartheid-era South Africa, but Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke) has his home, his family and a good job at the Secunda Oil Refinery. He wants no part of the anti-Apartheid movement, choosing instead to lead a simple life. On a day when Patrick has a day off work to attend a football game and to secretly visit the son he fathered with his ex-girlfriend, terrorists attempt to blow up the Oil Refinery.

Nic Vos (Tim Robbins), a white policeman striving to maintain order in the face of increasing unrest, arrests Patrick and two black co-workers. During the interrogation, he presents himself as someone who doesn't use the harsh methods of his fellow cops. To protect his marriage, Patrick hides the alibi that could save him, until his wife Precious is also arrested and beaten. Patrick emerged a changed man, one who struggles to find his role in the turmoil that threatens his country.