Race Darnell (Patrick Swayze) sits on death row for murdering his wife, a crime he didn't commit. He keeps his hopes up by corresponding with several pen pals through a series of tape-recorded messages. In the tapes, Race pours out his soul, confessing his infidelities but insisting on his innocence. To his surprise, his sentence is overturned, and he is released. But when his tapes fall into the wrong hands, he finds himself framed once more, and again fighting for his freedom.