Then, 17 years later, when the leader of that gang re-emerges, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past.
Set for release in the US next month, Nicole recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show to discuss the crime thriller.
"It's a really tough, gritty drama," she said.
And according to Nicole, the heavy content in the film really took its toll on her husband Keith Urban.
"My husband was like, 'When does this end?'," she admitted.
"I had to live it, I didn't want it to feel like I was putting on a performance.
"I was a bit of a nightmare."