Hank Grotowski is a guard on death row. His father worked there before him and even his boy, Sonny, has taken up the same line of work. The Grotowskis are inveterate racists, Hank’s wife committed suicide as did his mother, and his relationship with his father is just as disastrous as that with his son. Father and son assist in the execution of a black man named Lawrence Musgrove, but after Hank humiliates Sonny for his ‘weakness’ in the matter, the young emotionally-deprived man takes his own life. Hank immediately quits his job. Musgrove is survived by an obese son and an attractive wife named Leticia, a waitress Hank accidentally meets at the restaurant where he sometimes goes for coffee. He gives her a ride home one night and after a couple of drinks their fleeting acquaintance turns into a passionate affair. In the morning Hank sees a certain photograph which tells him more about the woman of last night’s fling: she’s the executed man´s wife, but he thinks better of letting her in on the secret. It’s only a matter of time, however, before the awkward truth of this new relationship comes out. Actress Halle Berry took an Academy Award and a Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival 2002 for her performance.