 Carl Panzram is sent to Leavenworth Prison for burglary. While there, he is brutally beaten by a guard. Neophyte guard Henry Lesser feels sympathy for Panzram, befriends him, and gets him to write his life story. Lesser learns that Panzram s past is much more violent than he thought, but also that he s capable of being a much better person than the rest of the prison staff believes - or so Lesser thinks.