Adam Hall (Chris O'Donnell) is a young lawyer who is ashamed of his family legacy. He became a lawyer to escape it. But as the time nears for his grandfather, Sam Cayhall (Gene Hackman), to be executed, he visits him on death row. Having never met his racist grandfather before, but troubled by the suicide death of his father, Adam goes to confront him. But because his grandfather's case of racially motivated murder and capital punishment capture the attention of the media, Adam is confronted to decide if he will represent his own grandfather to get a reprive from capital punishment. Adam doesn't believe in capital punishment, but he does believe his own grandfather to be guilty of terrible crimes. Handling the last appeals for his grandfather create more than just a moral dilemma internally for Adam. He seeks to understand how he came from such a background and if there is hope for healing in his family.