Abel Grey (Edward Burns) a small town cop, investigates the drowning of a boy from an exclusive school. Fearing scandal, the school insists that it is suicide, but Abel has already discovered that the boy had been a victim of bullying and suspects otherwise.
As Abel digs deeper he discovers a world of corruption and must confront the truth about himself, as he is a man manipulated by the ghosts of his own past.
Based on the critically acclaimed and best selling book by Alice Hoffman, The River King is a story of how what appears on the surface often masks the truth which lies below.