Archetypal good Jewish girl Shelley Rubin escapes family expectations by falling in love with the leader of the Jewish Defence League (JDL), once considered America’s most active terrorist organisation by US authorities. Advocating any means necessary to prevent antisemitism, she supports armed response and preventative violence. On the path to becoming the brash and outspoken leader of the JDL, Rubin faces alienation from her family, and the imprisonment and violent death of her friends and family members. Director Jeff Daniels shadows Rubin and untangles her past and present to expose this unusual pathway to Jewish extremism.