Macon County Line

In 1954, brothers Chris and Wayne Dixon leave Chicago for a two-week spree of cheap thrills through the South before their upcoming Air Force service. They drive with little plan beyond what trouble they can find along the way. The journey sets the tone for the violent encounters that will unfold.

While traveling through Louisiana, they pick up Jenny Scott, a pretty hitchhiker with a shady backstory she’d rather not discuss. Jenny joins the trio for the ride, changing the dynamic and the risks of the journey. The group continues toward an unknown destination, unaware of the danger ahead.

In Morgan’s town, Sheriff Reed Morgan prepares to bring his son Luke home from military school, signaling a normal life that is about to be interrupted. He buys Luke a new shotgun as hunting season looms the next day, hinting at violence to come. The contrast between family life and looming conflict foreshadows the chase.

Chris, Jenny, and Wayne encounter car trouble again and patch the vehicle up at Hamp’s garage, with Hamp helping them get back on the road. Sheriff Morgan drops a casual threat about vagrancy if they linger, creating a tense, watchful mood in town. The uneasy stop marks the last moment of relative safety before the danger closes in.

After another breakdown, they take refuge in Sheriff Morgan's barn, hoping to lay low until they can move on. Morgan's suspicions burn as the trio hides among the shadows, unsure who else might be watching. This quiet shelter is only a temporary respite before violence erupts again.

Inside Morgan's house, two men brutally rape and murder Morgan's wife, an act that devastates the town and intrudes on the outsiders' peril. The attackers also kill a police officer when pulled over, deepening the town's sense of lawlessness. The violence marks a tipping point that shatters any pretense of safety.

Returning home, Morgan discovers his wife dead and launches a pursuit of Chris, Wayne, and Jenny, triggering a running firefight through the sheriff's town. The chase compresses the trio's options and drags the locals into the violence. The confrontation marks the collapse of the quiet rural routine.

Wayne and Jenny hide aboard a boat to avoid Morgan's pursuit, while Chris attempts to start the boat’s motor to escape. A single gunshot punctuates the tension as danger closes in on the cramped space. The trio fights for survival in a fragile, improvised refuge on the water.

Luke Morgan enters the boat's cabin and shoots Wayne and Jenny, effectively eliminating two pursuers. The act reveals Luke's involvement and his descent into violence. The boat becomes a stage for betrayal and tragedy in the chase.

It is revealed that Sheriff Morgan was killed during the firefight, a casualty of the escalating violence that has consumed the town. The death underscores the collapse of authority in the region and the toll of the pursuit. Chris, though wounded, continues to press on.

A wounded Chris returns to the boat to find his friends dead, and Luke is being held by another policeman. The loss solidifies the reality that escape is unlikely and that violence has become the only currency left. Chris's survival carries the weight of escalating trauma as night closes in.

With Hamp having repaired the car, Chris drives away as locals and police watch him depart. The scene offers a cautious sense of closure, even as memory of the night lingers. The town settles back into its routines while the survivor carries a heavy burden.

Epilogue shows Chris years later: he has become a master sergeant in the Air Force with a wife and three children, while Luke spends the rest of his life in a mental hospital. The contrast highlights the lasting impact of the events and the price paid by each survivor. The film closes on a note of hard-won stability shaded by memory.