Sheriff Thurmond Call was found on the highway, gutted like an alligator. A local redneck was tried and sentenced. Then Ward James, an investigative reporter for the Miami Times, returns to his hometown with a death row femme fatale who promises him the story of the decade. She's armed with explosive evidence and aims to free -- and meet -- her convicted "fiancé." With Ward's disillusioned brother as their driver, they barrel down Florida's back roads and seamy places in search of the Story, racing flat out into a shocking head-on collision between character and fate as truth takes a backseat to headline news.