In the late summer of 1882, the son of a wealthy Georgia lumberman sits in jail, awaiting his execution. He is to be hung by the neck until dead, condemned for the brutal murder of a young woman he claims still to love. As his own death draws near, he reflects on the crime that led to his downfall—a crime he never really wanted to commit in the first place. Inspired by the Appalachian folk ballad "Rose Connelly."