Set in the contemporary South, the story centers on three generations of racists and the interracial love story that affects them. Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and his 20-something son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), work for the local department of corrections, where they are preparing the electric chair for a black inmate (Sean “P. Diddy” Combs). Hank eventually meets the convict’s widow, Leticia (Halle Berry), and falls for her. She moves in with Hank only to discover his connection to her husband.