The film tells the story of the real life Jesuit priest Reverend C.D. Clark (Don Murray). Clark is responsible for implementing rehabilitation of convicts and improving prison conditions. He consoles a man marked for execution and tries to talk to the doomed man in a language he will understand. As the prisoner enters the gas chamber, Clark gives an inspired speech against the death penalty., A Jesuit priest advocating for young convicts has his resolve tested when one of his flock can’t resist trouble. Based on the true story of Rev. Charles Dismas Clark.