When an aide to prominent U.S. Representative Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) dies in what initially appears to be an accident, two journalists from the Washington Globe newspaper investigate when they obtain information that it may not have been an accident. The dead woman (Maria Thayer) was Collins' chief researcher in hearings concerning a private sector security firm supplementing the use of U.S. Armed Forces around the world. She was also Collins' lover. The two journalists have contrasting styles: Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is a traditional print journalist who uses his contacts in the Police Department to get his information, while Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) uses new media such as blogging to get her information out to the public quickly. As they delve into the role the private company might play in domestic security, McAffrey also realizes they have all been duped into making one serious, but false, assumption.