Emre, a young lawyer recently appointed as the state prosecutor, finds himself transferred from Ankara to the quaint but problematic town of Yaniklar in Anatolia Province. From his very first moments in the village, he witnesses the local customs firsthand as men pursue a boar, ultimately dragging its lifeless body through the streets. Despite being welcomed by the local lawyer, Şahin, and the town's dentist, Emre makes it clear that he cannot condone what they deem to be a harmless tradition of hunting. He reminds them firmly of the gun laws prohibiting shooting in populated areas.
While enjoying a swim in a nearby lake, Emre meets Murat Körükçü, the local newspaper editor who arrives on a Harley Davidson. Murat warns Emre about the town's dangers, mentioning how his predecessor mysteriously vanished, suspecting someone had attempted to poison him. That evening, during a dinner with the mayor and his son (who is, interestingly, Şahin), Emre hears the mayor trivializing the town’s ongoing water issues as mere “natural phenomena.” As the night unfolds, Şahin attempts to coax Emre into traditional customs with a bottle of Raki and an invitation for a rooftop bath. However, the atmosphere shifts dramatically when a dentist arrives with musicians, and Murat’s comments lead to a confrontation where Emre’s discomfort becomes evident. When a shy young gypsy girl named Pekmez unexpectedly dances for them, Emre's nausea overwhelms him, culminating in his passing out.
Upon waking, Emre finds a disturbing surprise—a dead rat in his kitchen. The unsettling events continue as he learns of a new sinkhole that has appeared overnight in town. He is soon called to the hospital, where he is confronted with the aftermath of a violent crime; Pekmez has been brutally raped and beaten, leading her father Yavuz to lash out at the police officers present. Emre refrains from intervening, which adds to the tense atmosphere. Yavuz later reveals the ongoing abuse that the family has endured, along with the painful memories of Pekmez having given birth to a child after a previous assault.
In the hospital, a police officer, a male doctor, and Emre confront Pekmez about the incident, though her fearful stammering leads to limited clarity. Emre insists on a sperm test, triggering a chain of events where he orders Şahin's arrest—an action that invites doubt and resentment from the local authorities. The film poignantly portrays the stark reality of patriarchy; as women work in the hospital, they appear completely sidelined from the critical discussions at hand.
A dinner with the town’s judge and her husband, who is the hospital doctor, highlights the local attitudes as the judge implies that Pekmez might not be reliable in her testimony. She pressures Emre to release Şahin, thereby revealing the moral ambiguities at play within the town’s legal framework. With the mayoral elections looming, Şahin employs populist tactics, like providing free water to villagers, complicating Emre's pursuit of justice. When Emre questions Şahin about the rape allegations, he finds himself unexpectedly accused instead.
As the stakes rise, Murat visits Emre to share geological reports indicating that the sinkholes are a direct result of over-extraction of groundwater, implicating the mayor in a potential cover-up. Murat proves to be a crucial ally; he recounts how he took care of Emre after a drunken episode, suggesting that Emre may have been drugged at the dinner. The following day, Emre receives troubling footage of himself dancing with Murat, igniting flashbacks and a growing confusion about his own actions.
Soon, Emre finds himself confronting not just external threats, like the arrest of Kemal, but internal ones as he grapples with mounting public scrutiny and allegations of an affair with Murat. Despite the challenges, Emre attempts to maintain his authority. However, as rumors swirl and tensions rise, Emre becomes ensnared in the dark complexities of Yaniklar’s local politics, revealing a web of corruption, power struggles, and manipulation—ultimately leading him to question not only the fabric of justice in the small town but also his own moral compass in a scenario where everyone seems to twist the truth to fit their narrative.
