Based on true events, the series is divided into two time periods, following the events leading up to the murder and trial. Ray (Barratt) and his 23-year-old brother Nathan (Tappi) are arrested after stabbing their mother's partner. Whatever the circumstances leading up to a child killing someone, the law is clear: the age of criminal responsibility is 10, and at 12, Ray must be tried in adult court. Moving into his mother Veronica's home to be with his 23-year-old brother Nathan, Ray witnesses an argument that escalates into a violent axe attack on his brother by his mother's partner Scott. Although arrested and tried, Scott is acquitted and soon returns to live at home. Family life begins to deteriorate, with Nathan becoming withdrawn and unconcerned about his health and appearance, while Ray increasingly takes on a caregiving role - for Nathan, for his mother, and for his siblings, Veronica and Scott's young children. One night, when the boys hear Scott threatening to take the axe again, the brothers attack him, brutally killing him. Following the murder, the two brothers are arrested and charged with murder. Nathan and Ray are separated as they enter the justice system and meet their respective legal teams. Ray's team, led by defense attorney Kerry Stephens, handles Ray's placement in foster care (due to his age and "looked-after" status) pending his trial in adult court with his brother. Kerry and her team prepare Ray's defense - they will argue that Ray lost control on the night of the attack and should be convicted of manslaughter rather than murder. As the trial begins, they discover that Nathan's defense team has decided that Nathan should not testify, leaving Ray alone on the stand to give evidence in his own defense.