The Place Beyond the Pines follows the interwoven lives of two men as they struggle through the world. Luke, played by Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling is a mysterious, almost mythical motorcycle stunt performer who travels from town to town with a carnival. Ending up in Schenectady in upstate New York, he comes across a former lover (played by Eva Mendes) who reveals that in his absence she has given birth to a son - and it's his.

Giving up his life on the road to try and provide for his rather unexpected family, Luke ends up committing a string of bank robberies through the use of his stunt riding abilities. This puts him in the firing line of an ambitious police officer called Avery Cross (played by Bradley Cooper) who is trying to move up in his increasingly corrupt department. Unfolding over fifteen years, the sins of these two men will reverberate through their families.