Diana and Deric have an ideal marriage: they thrive in each other's company, they're funny, and they enjoy their two grown children and Deric's dotty mother; the trouble is, Diana can no longer walk and her malady defies medical diagnosis. To care for Diana, Deric is letting his business slide, but at a civic luncheon, he is seated next to Aileen Armitage, a novelist who is blind. They have a nice time, and on the sly, Diana contacts Aileen to made an odd request. Diana's declining health and her resolve bring this triangle of unlikely friends to a surprising place.
En Inglaterra, corriendo la década de los 50, el torpe Derek Bentley se incorpora a un grupo de delincuentes menores que lidera Chris Craig, un adolescente que se deshace por los filmes de gángsteres norteamericanos. La amistad que surge entre ambos les conduce hacia la implicación en un caso auténtico en el que el jurado condenó a muerte a Derek Bentley por el asesinato de un oficial de la policía pistola en mano. El caso Bentley hizo mella en la conciencia social de Inglaterra poniendo en duda la razón de ser de la pena capital.
