Carl Truitt, high school teacher and ladies' man, is shocked when FBI agents storm his Atlanta classroom and arrest him for a murder committed in his hometown - 30 years ago. Thea, Carl's wife of twenty years, like the rest of the community, is in disbelief and sure that this case of mistaken identity will soon be cleared up. But when she visits Carl in jail, he pours out his heart to her and a story echoes from the past that is truly unbelievable. Undaunted by the circumstances, Thea Truitt stands by her man. Selling their home, Thea follows Carl back to his hometown, where she battles corrupt officials, greedy lawyers, and poverty in an attempt to save him.