The film takes place in the aftermath of a drunk driving accident that killed three high school students and left one alive to be held accountable for the tragedy.

The story follows Sean, the young man responsible, four years later as he is released from prison, and Juna, a mother still devastated by the loss of her son in the accident, as she fails to engage with her surviving children.

What unfolds in an unexpected series of events surrounding characters that live in a world not governed by the typical formulae of fiction, but rather the difficult contemplations of real life. BENEATH CONTEMPT examines how grief, outrage, and the need for penitence affects the experience of a local tragedy.