Nash reflects on his mother, who died of breast cancer five years earlier, and his father’s long-term health problems from Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. Ty Nash’s first wife died by suicide for unexplained reasons before Ty married Nash’s mother. Nash remembers good childhood times with his father: Little League baseball, learning to shoot, attending his father’s military retirement ceremony, and going to the beach together, where he saw Ty’s combat scars. However, these blissful times ended when Nash, at 14, chose to play tennis instead of high school football, fearing injury. His father completely withdrew from him after this decision.

Years later, Nash attempted reconciliation while his mother was dying, bringing food to his father’s house, but Ty violently punched him and sent him away. His father never allowed Nash to visit him in hospice, and Nash only learned of Ty’s death from an elderly neighbor. As he finishes dressing for the funeral, Nash feels a desire to return to work and put this behind him.

Nash is surprised that his father asked for a nondenominational church service, as he was an atheist. Ty’s rowdy Vietnam veteran motorcycle club, the “Fuck Off” club, occupies several pews. The Nash family sits behind a woman named Rosie Parker, Ty’s girlfriend, who is introduced by Harriet Segura, a longtime family friend and neighbor. Harriet whispers that she believes Rosie is a gold digger. Rosie speaks at the service, calling Ty her partner and lover, which shocks Nash.

The final speaker is Isaiah “Shock” York, Ty’s best friend, who delivers a profanity-laced eulogy. Shock and his fellow veterans march to the casket, each pounding on it three times. Shock then walks directly to Nash and bellows that Ty thought Nash was the “biggest stuck-up prick in the whole goddamn world” (14). When Nash mentions the tennis-versus-football issue, Shock dismisses it, saying that if Nash thinks that was the reason, he is “not nearly as smart as [his] daddy said [he] was” (14). Shock offers kind condolences to Judith and Maggie before mouthing the word prick to Nash and leaving.

The minister rushes through the remainder of the service. Rosie accompanies the casket in the hearse to the cemetery. Afterward, a man named Mort Dickey approaches Nash, introduces himself as Ty’s attorney, and informs Nash that he is both the executor and a beneficiary of his father’s will. Nash, skeptical, takes Dickey’s business card.

That night, around midnight, a heavily intoxicated Nash drinks brandy on his covered patio. He vomits onto the floor and his pants. A man suddenly appears from the shadows. He shows Nash an FBI badge and identifies himself as Special Agent Reed Morris. Despite the late hour and Nash’s drunken state, Morris says he would like to have a chat.

Nash brings Morris inside and makes cappuccinos. Morris begins questioning Nash about Sybaritic Investments and his relationship with Rhett and Rhett’s father, Barton. Morris reveals the FBI believes Rhett Temple is engaging in illegal business with criminal organizations. Morris attempts to recruit Nash as an informant to build a case against Temple.

He warns that if Nash refuses to cooperate, he could be implicated when the criminal enterprise is brought down and explains that, if necessary, Nash and his family can enter Witness Protection. He tells Nash to think about it but warns him to tell no one, not even his family. After Morris leaves, Nash collapses on the floor, realizing his entire life has been destroyed in 20 minutes.

On the same night, Rhett Temple does a line of cocaine off the dashboard of his Porsche before driving to his father Barton’s massive home and compound. The butler escorts him upstairs, where Rhett sees a young, blindfolded woman being led away by security. He realizes that she is a sex worker, hired by his father.

Barton criticizes Rhett for missing Ty Nash’s funeral and emphasizes Nash’s importance to Sybaritic’s success, noting that Nash is the only thing keeping the company afloat due to Rhett’s mismanagement. He then discusses the terms of his will with Rhett, mentioning his third wife, Mindy, and Rhett’s sisters: younger sister Beth, half-sister DeeDee, and older half-sister Angie, who has a developmental disability and lives at the compound. Barton pressures Rhett to marry and have children, repeatedly calling him “boy” to antagonize him. On his way out, Rhett visits Angie’s room for a brief, tender moment; he genuinely loves his sister, who calls him Et.

As Rhett leaves his father’s compound, he sees security guards forcing the blindfolded woman from his father’s room into an SUV. The woman is struggling. Rhett intervenes, lies that his father sent him, and insists on driving her home himself. In the car, the woman introduces herself as Laurel Burke. Rhett pulls over on a dirt road and has sex with Laurel in his convertible, making her keep the blindfold on. Afterward, he gives her $5,000 in cash. Before she leaves, Laurel tells Rhett that he smells “a little like” his father (39).

The morning after the funeral, Nash and Judith have passionate sex. Nash feels intense guilt for keeping the FBI’s visit a secret from her. As they prepare for the day, their different personalities are reflected in their closets: his is obsessively organized with suits arranged by color and season, while hers is fashionably chaotic. Judith tries to comfort him about the funeral and asks if he has contacted his father’s lawyer yet. Nash confirms that he will call that day.

Later, in his study, Maggie presents Nash with a detailed business proposal to become a social media influencer and content creator, requesting her college fund plus an additional $300,000. Nash promises to review it later. She then asks why she never met her grandfather. Nash explains that Ty rejected him and the family.

At his office, Nash calls Mort Dickey to arrange a meeting; Dickey refuses a Zoom call, and they settle on an 8:30 appointment the next morning. At his desk, Nash mentally lists the pros and cons of working with the FBI. He uses a four-count breathing exercise that his father taught him to calm his anxiety before moving forward.

Rhett visits Nash’s office to apologize for missing the funeral, claiming a calendar error, and praises Nash’s excellent work performance. After Rhett leaves, Nash suspects the apology is strategic, possibly indicating some knowledge of the FBI’s interest, and briefly considers contacting Morris.

Nash goes to a nearby deli for lunch. After returning from the restroom, he finds a note with an address tucked under his bill. He goes to the specified location and is met by Rosie Parker, who admits that she left the note because she is worried about her future in Ty’s house. Nash reassures her that he will try to honor his father’s wishes. Rosie explains that she met Ty at the VA hospital where she works. She reveals that Ty told her Nash was a “mean bastard.” Nash promises to call her after meeting with the lawyer.

On his way home, Nash drives through his old neighborhood. He reflects on a childhood incident involving a neighbor’s dog named Rusty, whom Nash cared for deeply. When Rusty disappeared, his father lied about the dog being given to a farmer, but Nash found blood and fur suggesting Rusty was killed. He now wonders if this lie was the true beginning of their estrangement, rather than the later conflict over football.

Nash notes that his father’s house is well-maintained while the rest of the neighborhood has declined; he witnesses a drug deal. At home, Judith shows him a large bouquet of flowers from Rhett. Nash almost tells Judith about the FBI investigation but cannot bring himself to do it. After dinner, in his study, he reviews Maggie’s business proposal and provides harsh feedback, refusing to fund her plan or let her use her college money for it. Hurt and angry, Maggie accuses him of not believing in her, grabs her proposal, and storms out, slamming the door.

Seeking to verify Agent Morris’s identity, Nash visits his neighbor, Hal Rankin, a former FBI agent who now runs a private security consulting business. Nash pretends he is vetting a movie script for Sybaritic about an ordinary man approached by the FBI to become an informant. Rankin confirms that the tactics Nash describes are plausible and common, explaining that the agent’s identity could be verified by calling the main FBI field office number and asking for the agent.

Rankin also states the FBI would not approach someone without compelling evidence of wrongdoing at their company. He warns that such informants often face immense danger and are sometimes killed if discovered. Those who survive and enter Witness Protection often lose their wealth and families, sometimes ending up working minimum-wage jobs in remote locations.

At home, Judith confronts Nash about Maggie, who stormed out of the house after their argument. They argue about his harsh treatment of their daughter. Nash waits up for Maggie until two in the morning, terrified she might have an accident. When Maggie finally returns home and slams her bedroom door, Nash is relieved but unable to sleep.

On his patio, he examines Reed Morris’s business card, having already confirmed online that the number belongs to the legitimate FBI field office. While standing in the darkness, Nash feels he is being watched. He mentally analyzes Sybaritic Investments to determine where criminal activity might be occurring and concludes that Rhett’s personally run and underperforming special-deals division is the most likely source of any illegality.

Rhett stands over the corpse of Peter Lombard, a fatherly looking man in his fifties. Kneeling beside the body is John Burr, who shot Lombard. Burr explains his plan to dispose of the body in deep water using cinder blocks and chains. Rhett expresses unease, noting this is the third such killing in two years. Burr tells Rhett that he needs to check in with their superiors and that “she” will be present at the meeting.

Rhett arrives at an isolated house and is thoroughly searched by a formidable security team. He meets with Victoria Steers, a nearly 40-year-old British Chinese woman who is the powerful and ruthless leader of the criminal organization. Steers questions Rhett about Sybaritic’s security leaks and Peter Lombard’s status as an informant, which led to his death.

Rhett deduces that since the FBI’s previous targets were mid-level employees, the FBI will now attempt to recruit a highly placed person within the organization. He suggests that, strategically, it would be better to turn the next potential informant into a loyal ally rather than killing them, an approach Steers appears to approve. As Rhett prepares to leave, Steers’s men grab him and pin his arms. One man uses a knife to carve a long but nonlethal cut up Rhett’s left arm as punishment and warning. Rhett is then drugged, and his wound is cleaned and sutured. He awakens in his Porsche wearing fresh clothes, with a bottle of Oxycodone bearing a taunting label and a typed note warning that for “every wrong there must be” punishment (81).

Nash arrives at Mort Dickey’s modest law office, where Dickey confirms that Nash is the executor. He also reveals that he and Ty were friends and fellow Vietnam veterans. The will’s terms are detailed: Rosie Parker receives a life interest in Ty’s house, conditional on her paying all expenses. Half of Ty’s savings and life insurance goes to Shock, and the remainder, about $75,000, is split among the motorcycle club members. Ty’s Harley and his Vietnam mementos go to Shock after Nash selects any items he wants. Nash also has the first choice of his mother’s personal effects.

Dickey then reveals that Ty received a lump-sum settlement of $550,000 from the Army for Agent Orange. Ty invested this money, and the portfolio is now worth $850,000. From this, $250,000 each goes to Rosie and Shock. The remaining $350,000 is held in trust for Maggie, with half released when she is 25 and the remainder at age 28, though Nash, as trustee, has discretion to release funds earlier. Dickey also gives him a letter from his father, to be opened only after his death. Overwhelmed by this unexpected posthumous connection to his father, Nash returns to his car, puts his head on the steering wheel, and weeps.

After composing himself, Nash calls the FBI field office and leaves a message for Morris, who calls back immediately. Nash demands a meeting with Morris and his superior during his business trip to Washington, DC, the next day to verify that the operation is legitimate. Morris agrees.

At his office, Nash finds Rhett Temple waiting for him. Rhett looks pale and has an injured arm, which he claims he hurt in a fall. Rhett informs Nash that Peter Lombard’s car has been found abandoned in a mountainous area with a suicide note inside. Nash finds this news suspicious, recalling Lombard as a stable, happily married family man.

After Rhett leaves, Nash connects Lombard’s apparent death by suicide to two other recent, suspicious deaths of employees at companies acquired by Sybaritic: Alexandra Singer, who fell off a cliff at the Grand Canyon, and Danielle Cho, who was shot in an unsolved home invasion. Nash has a terrifying realization: These three were likely FBI informants who were discovered and killed. He concludes that he is the fourth person the FBI has attempted to recruit.