Kalief Browder seeks justice from New York City for his wrongful arrest and three year imprisonment at Rikers Island; Kalief's deposition proves to be treacherous and he is forced to answer questions about his troubled past.

After a delay in the case a missing witness is found, revealing sloppy detective work. Kalief is faced with time served but refuses to plead guilty to a crime he didn't commit. He is released a month later without explanation.

Kalief refuses to plead guilty, demanding a trial. He is caught in the revolving door of solitary confinement as his case crawls through a stagnant court system.

Family tensions are high when Kalief's estranged father tries to take over the case and settlement negotiation. Kalief's mother, Venida, fights depression and bad health but suffers a massive heart attack, dying at the hospital.

A look at the early days of Kalief's incarceration at Rikers Island, where he is introduced to a world of violence, corruption and gangs, forcing him to defend himself from other inmates and corrections officers

Kalief becomes a folk hero and the poster child of a broken system, attracting journalists and celebrities as he fights for justice, but he begins to deteriorate under the bright spotlight of the media.