Seventeen-year-old Sean Paul Lockhart arrives in Pennsylvania to film a solo sex scene under the direction of Stephen Kocis, the owner of Cobra Videos. Sean lies to his mother, claiming that he is visiting Pennsylvania to intern with a film company, and also lies to Stephen about his age, saying he is eighteen. Sean chooses Brent Corrigan as his stage name, and after a successful first video, he agrees to stay on and continue filming gay pornography with partners, all under the direction of Stephen. Stephen, who is also housing Brent, becomes gradually infatuated with Brent, and they have sex despite Brent's reluctance.
Faded escort Joe Kerekes and his muse Harlow Cuadra run a competitor porn site called Viper Boyz. Joe is aggressively possessive of Harlow, and the couple are slipping into debt due to their extravagant lifestyle. Harlow becomes increasingly irate at the popularity of Brent.
Brent's videos become extremely popular, and upon learning how unfairly he is paid, Brent starts to feel animosity towards Stephen. He asks for a high fee for his next video, and although Stephen agrees to raise sightly, he reminds Brent that he is under contract. Later that evening, he discovers that Stephen has earned exorbitant amounts, and after a fight, Brent leaves to return home. After losing out on a high-profile contract due to Stephen legally owning his name, and after a telephone confrontation where Stephen tries to assert his position, Brent reports to the police that he was seventeen in the videos he filmed with Stephen. Stephen is indicted with child pornography charges and Brent's actions cause repercussions throughout the gay porn industry while rendering him unable to obtain work. It also causes friction with his mother, who looks upon him unfavorably.
Joe and Harlow offer Brent $25,000 to perform in a video with Viper Boyz, but grow agitated that Stephen retains ownership of the Brent Corrigan moniker. Harlow gains entry to Stephen's house by pretending to audition for Cobra Video, and during the audition, he violently stabs Stephen to death. He and Joe rob the house before burning it down in an attempt to make it look as though Stephen died from arson.
Quickly uncovered as foul play, Stephen's death launches a murder investigation. Brent goes to the police to disclose he believes Joe and Harlow were responsible. He visits their residence with a wire, and captures Harlow's confession to the killing. In the moments before their arrest, they consider the gravity of their crimes before reaffirming their love. At the police station, Brent reconciles with his mother. In the final shots, Brent is shown to be director and actor on set, producing porn with his own studio.
