A new police officer (Ethan Hawke) is assigned to follow a veteran officer (Denzel Washington) around for a day to learn the ropes. The veteran officer shows the rookie his way of doing thing, which may not always be the legal way. As the day progresses the rookie is taken down a dark path, and the veteran does not realize that showing someone how to get away with the shady side of life can come back and bite you. As one good deed saves a life, it means the down fall of another. Using what he learned from the veteran, the rookie takes a stand for an unexpected ending.