In 2004, veteran CBS News producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) believed she had every reason to feel proud of a broadcast journalism job well done - by airing an investigative report about President George W. Bush's military service. Within days, however, Mapes, CBS News, and the venerable news anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) found themselves under harsh scrutiny when their evidence was denounced as a forgery. Eventually, Mapes would lose her job and reputation. Dan Rather would step down prematurely as CBS News anchor. This is the story of how the attention ended up focused on the journalists who questioned the official version of the story and sought the truth.