Ezekiel Farragut, a college professor and heroin addict, is sent to Falconer Correctional Facility after murdering his brother. Enclosed in a filthy cell, witness to the routine savagery of the guards and his fellow prisoners - murderers, conmen and thieves - Farragut believes he is one of the living dead. As he struggles with a troubled marriage and memories of a traumatic childhood, Farragut must learn to survive and remain human amid the relentless brutality of Falconer.