Mississippi, 1946. Pete Banning was the hero of the town of Clanton, the perfect southerner - a war veteran, a faithful husband, a loving father of two, a believing Christian, a prosperous farmer, a kind neighbor. But one autumn morning Pete Banning got up early, came to town... and killed parish priest Dexter Bell in cold blood. And the only thing he says during interrogations in the police and his lawyer: "I have nothing to say. "Banning's defender understands: the veteran is really ready to go to the electric chair rather than explain the reason that pushed him to commit a crime. And the only chance to save a client from execution is to find out for himself what made him commit a terrible act...