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."