The year is 1959. The Connecticut state prison at Wellesport has stood on the north side of this bucolic village for 132 years, but is on its last legs. The deputy warden, Benko Sadek, works feverishly to maintain order until a new penitentiary can be completed. As if the Dep isn't busy enough, he must prepare for the execution of the sexual thrill-killer Henry Cutler. To maintain order, Benko Sadek relays ever more heavily on brutality. The prison's chief medical officer, Dr. Rory Dunleavy, cannot abide the Dep's methods and the two men are at each other's throats. Against impossible odds, Henry Cutler escapes from death row. His getaway brings him face to face with a troop of Boy Scouts-including Dr. Rory's son Jack-camped on Hidden Island in Wellesport Cove. The boys are staging mock executions with an old oak armchair. Henry Cutler sees this and loses control, trying desperately to strangle Jack Dunleavy. Chasing Henry Cutler across Wellesport Cove in a small motorboat, the Dep has his driver kill the engine. The skiff settles into a stable drift. Raising his Winchester Model 94 to his shoulder, Benko Sadek takes a deep breath...