Under the glare of the permanent Alaska sun, two veteran Los Angeles police officers close in on their suspect in the murder of a teenage girl. But when officer Will Dormer (Al Pacino) accidentally shoots his partner, their murder suspect, reclusive novelist Walter Finch (Robin Williams), witnesses the shooting--and blackmails Dormer. Now, as an idealistic local detective (Hillary Swank) investigates the case, and the stakes rise, Dormer's sanity begins to falter.