Josh Londer is happily married to his lovely wife, Brenda, and works as a certified public accountant in 1981. They have a modest but comfortable home in Morristown, Massachusetts, and spend as much time together as they can. Before long, the company that Josh works for downsizes and he is let go with several other employees. Due to an economic downslide, he is able to find sporadic work, but before long, he and his wife begin to struggle to meet their monthly expenses. On a summer afternoon, Josh stops for gasoline and is kidnapped by three thieves who force him to participate in the robbery of a liquor store. One man is shot and killed by the store clerk and soon afterward the second is shot dead by the police. The third member, a girl, manages to escape and Josh is arrested and charged. Overwhelming evidence convinces the jury that he is guilty and he is sentenced to four years in prison even though he is completely innocent. While he is away, his wife is hired at an electrical component company where the plant manager takes an interest in her and moves her up to a very good paying position. He agrees to hire Josh upon his release as a delivery driver for the company, which is good because with his prison record, employment would be difficult to obtain. Shortly afterward, the manager plans to use her to "entertain" some of the buyers in order to sway them to purchase exclusively from his company. Realizing that she doesn't want Josh to learn of this after all that he has been through, he sets her up and then blackmails her into doing so. The whole situation takes a serious turn for the worse and Josh finds himself facing another prison sentence-this time, for murder.