Federal agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town of Kiewarra in
Victoria to attend the funeral of his childhood friend Luke Hadler, who has allegedly killed his wife Karen and their son Billy before taking his own life. Only their infant daughter, Charlotte, was spared. Luke's parents ask Falk to stay and investigate the crime, and he reluctantly agrees. In flashbacks, it is revealed that Falk left town twenty years earlier to escape harassment when he was suspected in the death of his girlfriend Ellie. Upon his return, he finds many of the townspeople are still angry towards him, particularly Ellie's father Mal and her cousin Grant who brand him a liar and a murderer. With the help of the town's local sergeant Greg Raco, Falk begins to look into the events surrounding Luke's death. They discover that the
shotgun shells used in the crime were Remingtons, while Luke only owned Winchesters. Falk also interviews Scott Whitlam, the local school principal and Karen's boss, who explains that although she and Luke had some money trouble, they did not appear to have any serious problems. Falk discovers the word 'GRANT?' handwritten on the back of a library book receipt. So, he suspects Grant wants to purchase the Hadler family farm as Luke's parents cannot manage it on their own. Falk visits Gretchen, another childhood friend and Karen's co-worker who tells him about applications found in Karen's desk for school funding. While reminiscing over an old photo album, Falk sees one of Luke holding Gretchen's newborn son Lachlan. He questions her about Luke being the father; Gretchen denies this, but indirectly confirms they were having an affair. Falk directly asks Gretchen if she is responsible for the murders, and she tells him to leave. The next morning, Falk finds some of the funding applications and realises Karen wrote 'GRANT?' in reference to finances. Aaron discovers Whitlam has been embezzling from the school and murdered Karen and her family to cover up his crime. Falk and Raco go to question Whitlam at the school, only to be told he's left. While visually confirming that his daughter is still in class, they look outside to see him run inside a shed. By the time they reach it, he's gone, but Raco discovers Remington shotgun shells on a shelf. They continue after him into the bush, where he's hiding behind a tree with a jerry can of petrol and a lighter. Whitlam admits to his gambling addiction, stealing money from the school to pay his debts, and murdering the Hadler family to cover up his fraud. He then drenches himself in the petrol and sets himself on fire. Falk and Raco tackle him to the ground and put out the flames, during which there are flashbacks of Whitlam murdering each victim. Whitlam and Raco are badly burnt and hospitalised, although Falk's injuries are not as severe. The investigation is closed with Whitlam's confession, and Luke's parents thank Falk for proving Luke's innocence. Before leaving town, Falk meets with Gretchen and apologises for accusing her; she forgives him. She reveals she was always in love with Luke but that he chose Karen. She also admits to seeing Ellie walk towards the river on the night she died; she was on her way to see Luke, with whom she spent the night. Falk visits the rocky area above the river that he and Ellie went to frequently and places a dried bouquet in the same crevice where he accidently knocked her bracelet off years earlier. He finds her old backpack under some brush nearby, containing her hat, wallet, and journal. Falk opens the journal, finds a photo of the four friends, and reads the last entry, a poem that reveals Ellie's intent to run away due to physical abuse at the hands of her father, following in her mother's footsteps. Mal had also threatened to kill Ellie if she ever tried to leave. A flashback reveals Ellie's last moments and Falk's whereabouts at the time of her death: she hides her backpack, heads to the river where Falk is swimming and calling out her name, changes her mind, and then encounters her father, who pursued her after discovering she'd fled. Falk lets the realization of what happened sink in to the sounds of Mal attacking and drowning Ellie in a rage. Falk takes the backpack as evidence to clear his name, and walks back into town along the riverbed, which is now completely dry. ==Cast==