In 1899 two young boys, James Peterson and Eddie Carter, are involved in an incident when they accidentally set Eddie's house on fire. Hesitant to take responsibility, the boys shift the blame to an unsuspecting black man, Jesse, who has had an argument with Eddie's father. Inflamed by the boys' account of the fire, Eddie's father enlists four brothers to help him run down the black man and lynch him. Aided by his friends, Jesse takes refuge in a nearby swamp until the truth is found out. The brothers follow Jessie into the swamp. Hidden and unhidden danger awaits everyone who wanders into the swamp. The chase rushes to a deadly conclusion as Jesse tries to elude Carter and the unsavory characters he's hired to catch him.