Kiefer Sutherland plays Denver Bayliss, a condemned murderer who has killed three people, including a prison guard. He was brought into the system as a juvenile delinquent and never got out. Now he is awaiting execution. Forest Whitaker stars as Fred Whitmore, a death row prison guard who runs into trouble when he refuses to take part in the brutally abusive tactics of the guards. However, something about Denver haunts Fred Whitmore, and the two men form an unexpected friendship that transforms their lives.

When an unknown assailant viciously murders the participants in a bank robbery and murder case, it could be a case of vigilante justice - that is, if the two cases are connected. That's for the police to decide - and it's a puzzle that becomes more mysterious with each new clue.