罗伯特（连姆·尼森 Liam Neeson 饰）是一名德高望重的氏族首领，在向蒙特罗斯侯爵（约翰·赫特 John Hurt 饰）申请贷款购买牲畜之时惨遭其门客坎宁安（蒂姆·罗斯 Tim Roth 饰）与管家的联手陷害，不仅没有拿到钱，更失去了挚友麦克唐纳（艾瑞克·斯托罗兹 Eric Stoltz 饰）沦为逃犯。
　　之后，坎宁安继续迫害着罗伯特的家人们，他迫使证人贝蒂（Vicki Masson 饰）上吊自杀，还强暴的罗伯特的妻子玛丽（杰西卡·兰格 Jessica Lange 饰），善良坚强的玛丽独自吞下痛苦与悲哀。最终，罗伯特被坎宁安捕获，又被伯爵判处了绞刑。一个无辜的人眼看着就要丢掉性命，在这生死关头，罗伯特会做出怎样的回应和反击呢？

　　刚从监狱中释放的查理.兰斯（蒂芬·多尔夫 Stephen Dorff），寻求为他在监狱的导师“小佛爷”威廉（威廉·达福 Willem Dafoe）复仇。一路上，他邂逅了混迹街头游刃有余，但又不失优雅、迷人心魄的美女佛伦丝.简（米歇尔·莫娜汉 Michelle Monaghan）。二人一起踏上了一条凶险异常、前途未卜的旅程...

　　久别重聚，友情依旧。同窗好友大步向前，结婚、怀孕、诞儿，艾丽丝只能踽踽独行，寻索自己的人生路。校园性侵事件发生后，生活如是继续：在母校教学升迁、与旧同学饭聚、被召任陪审员、与邻居展开恋情……一切仿佛如常，看不见的伤口却依然隐隐作痛，只怕惊恐攸然来袭，把人杀个措手不及。五个章节不按时序，任错落情绪在回忆的倒带和快进中跌宕。没有暴力的视觉冲击，

　　The plot revolves around Ella Durran, an ambitious young woman whose lifelong dream of studying at Oxford finally comes true with a Rhodes Scholarship. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she is offered a position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign, challenging the initial expectations of her Oxford experience. Matters become more complicated when she meets Jamie Davenport, a local with a sharp tongue and an undeniable connection to Ella.
　　As the narrative progresses, what starts as a casual fling between Ella and Jamie evolves into something deeper, which leads to the revelation of the latter’s life-changing secret. Ella is now torn between her political aspirations and her growing feelings for Jamie, forcing her to confront difficult choices about her future. As her time in Oxford leads to its conclusion, Ella must decide which dreams truly matter most to her.

　　影片根据史蒂芬·金的同名短片小说改编，以三幕倒叙的方式，讲述查尔斯·克兰兹的一生，以他39岁因脑瘤去世为开端，以他在闹鬼的房子里度过的童年时光为结尾。