 Half-way through his 12-year prison sentence for an incompetent armed robbery, Jimmy Hands gets a lucky break: he s transferred to a prison from which he can probably escape. He convinces the governor to stage a musical in an old chapel next to the prison s outer wall. He rounds up volunteer actors and puts his escape plan into production. Two other barriers, besides the wall, confront him: the arrival of a nasty inmate, John Toombes, who insists on joining the escape, and Jimmy s feelings of attraction for Anabel, a social worker who agrees to appear in the play. Opening night approaches: is this Jimmy s breakout performance?