Bill Scanlin loses his job and is unable to tell his wife, Susan, for fear of losing his family, so he embarks on a life of crime. He befriends a detective, Frank McTiernan, who has chosen to uphold the law for a living but believes very little in its value. Ruby the first stranger to show him kindness inspires Bill to commit to a crime in her honor and he starts to enjoy his new found power. As Bill stays ahead of the law, he discovers that sometimes the only thing worse than getting caught is getting away with it.