It's the mid 1970s. Marie Ragghianti left an abusive marriage and moved back home with her mother Virginia in Tennessee to eke out a better life for herself and her three young children. She waited tables, while also completing the degree requirements at Vanderbilt to obtain a B.A. in English and Psychology. She is unapologetic in asking a college acquaintance, Eddie Sisk, for a job, when he is appointed legal counsel for the just-elected governor Ray Blanton. In what he considers a win-win situation, Eddie offers Marie a job as the Extradition Officer for the state, which she accepts. From there, Marie quickly moves up the chain of command, first becoming the liaison to the Governor on Parole Board recommendations - the role which is meant to be a two way street, where there is an understood quid pro quo in recommendations from the Board to the Governor, and from the Governor back to the Board - then becoming the Parole Board Chief. While working in these jobs, Marie becomes more and more uncomfortable in her working relationship with Eddie, and the Governor, who seems to be increasingly wanting parole for inmates who have no grounds to be paroled, and even worse, wanting full pardons for inmates who have no grounds to be pardoned. As Marie becomes more and more vocally opposed to what the Governor and Eddie want, she will learn how far they will go to silence and/or discredit her. In return, the Governor and Eddie will learn that Marie will not take what is happening to her sitting down, especially as she believes she has done nothing wrong in carrying out the responsibilities of any of her state duties.