 Paul Edgecomb is a slightly cynical veteran prison guard on Death row in the 1930 s. His faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die, Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude. Enter John Coffey, He s eight feet tall. He has hands the size of waffle irons. He s been accused of the murder of two children... and he s afraid to sleep in a cell without a night-light. And Edgecomb, as well as the other prison guards - Brutus, a sympathetic guard, and Percy, a stuck up, perverse, and violent person, are in for a strange experience that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions, and the revelation about Coffey s innocence and his true identity.