A quiet English town is left reeling when twelve-year-old Daniel Blake is discovered to have brutally murdered his schoolmate Felicity Forbes. For provincial solicitor Leo Curtice, the case promises to be the most high profile and morally challenging - of his career. But as he begins his defence Leo is unprepared for the impact the public fury surrounding Felicity's death will have on his family - and his teenage daughter Ellie, above all. While Leo struggles to get Daniel to open up, hoping to unearth the reasons for the boy's terrible crime, the build-up of pressure on Leo's family intensifies. As the case nears its climax, events will take their darkest turn. For Leo, nothing will ever be the same again ...