The film picks up where the first movie left off, with Jack Reacher (Tom Hardy) having disbanded the military police unit that he led. Reacher is approached by an old colleague, Captain Margolin (Jai Courtney), who enlists his help to investigate the disappearance of two MPs. As they dig deeper, they uncover a conspiracy involving a corrupt military officer, Major Isaac Newton (Dylan Bruno), and a ruthless businessman, Reece (Jason Lee).