A philosophy professor at the University of Texas and an outspoken abolitionist against capital punishment, David Gale is condemned to Death Row for the rape and murder of his close friend, Constance Harraway, who led the local chapter of Death Watch, a group vehemently opposing the death penalty. Just days before his scheduled execution, a skeptical journalist named Bitsey Bloom arrives at the prison to conduct what will be his final interview, accompanied by her intern, Zack Stemmons.
Gale's eccentric attorney, Braxton Belyeu, shares that David specifically requested Bloom, agreeing to have three sessions of two hours each with her. As the clock ticks down to 6 PM on the fourth day, Gale begins to unravel his troubling past through a series of flashbacks.
The narrative reveals that David's life was unravelling even before this nightmare. His marriage to Sharon was strained, compounded by his deep love for their young son, Jamie. During a lecture, the arrival of a beautiful student named Berlin disrupts his class, leading to an escalating series of events. After she lures him into an affair, he finds himself falsely accused of rape, which sends his life spiraling downward. He loses his job, his family relocates to Spain, and he ends up on the streets, drowning his sorrows in alcohol while advocating for the very cause that brought him down.
The situation reaches a turning point as David turns to Constance Harraway for support, learning that she suffers from leukemia. Their shared moments lead to a deeply intimate encounter just before Constance's untimely demise under suspicious circumstances. Her death scene, found shocking by authorities, implicates Gale and catapults him further into despair.
As the interviews with David unfold, the duo of Bloom and Stemmons uncover peculiar ties surrounding Harraway’s death, including enigmatic figures watching them. A visit to a house turned museum reveals the complexities surrounding the case, leading them to a chilling video that documents Constance's last moments, prompting them to suspect foul play.
Through misadventures, the journalists theorize about a conspiracy to frame Gale, who remains adamant about his innocence. Bloom and Stemmons experiment with handcuffs and a plastic bag in an attempt to reconstruct the scene, arriving at a startling hypothesis: the truth is that Constance committed suicide, intending to posthumously frame Gale as vengeance for his misfortunes.
With time running out and a crucial tape that could exonerate Gale, Bloom races against the clock to secure it from Dusty Wright, an admirer of Constance. However, complications arise when their car breaks down and the execution looms ever closer. Bloom's desperate sprint towards the prison culminates in tragedy as she learns that Gale has already passed away.
In the aftermath, Bloom receives a package containing Jamie’s cherished toy and an additional video segment switching the narrative once more—showing that Gale was innocent all along and had desperately wanted to shield her from blame. Meanwhile, Dusty Wright is on the move, returning to Europe with the silver case full of cash, leaving behind a postcard that whispers untold secrets of his own.
