During a Prohibition-era bootlegging run, petty New York pickpocket Ray Gibson and law-abiding bank teller Claude Banks are framed by a corrupt sheriff for a murder they didn't commit. Handed wrongful life sentences, the accidental travel companions are shipped off to a grueling maximum-security prison farm in Mississippi. Polar opposites in temperament and social standing, the two men are forced to endure decades together, surviving the brutality of the penal system while constantly bickering. Spanning half a century, their shared ordeal becomes an enduring test of resilience as they never give up hope of escaping, preserving their friendship, and proving their innocence to reclaim their stolen lives.