Rosarita was a sleepy little Texas border town until Lucas Brennan gunned down saloon owner Race Jago one morning. Because he refuses to give a motive or defend himself, the judge has no choice but to find him guilty of murder.

While Brennan awaits execution, Kip Wakefield tries to discover a motive for the killing and finally convinces the prisoner to tell why he shot Jago in cold blood. In the last hours before his sentence is carried out, Brennan reluctantly tells the young deputy his story. His tale is that of a man's love for his wife, a father's love for his son, and a hatred destroying two lives and affecting others. It is also the story of a man believing that once he's had his vengeance, there is nothing left for him but to die, only discovering almost too late there is always something to live for.