Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day Lewis) and his friend Paul Hill (John Lynch) are two Irish men who move to London to get away from the escalating Irish Republican Army violence in their native Belfast. While in London, a bomb goes off near to where they live and the two are arrested for the bombing. Two others are arrested along with Gerry and Paul and are tortured to get a confession that also implicates Gerry’s father, Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite). As a result, Gerry and his father are sentenced to fourteen years in prison despite a known confession from a prisoner that exonerates Gerry and his father. Gerry's father dies in prison and Gerry begins to appeal his case through the British courts with the help of a solicitor, Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson). Gareth tirelessly works to clear Gerry when she finds a trail of paperwork that was buried purposely by the government that can exonerate Gerry and clear the name of the father.