A lawyer assigned to the clemency case of a woman on death row finds himself forming a deep friendship with her while he tries to prevent her impending execution.

Upon taking a new job, young lawyer Rick Hayes is assigned to the clemency case of Cindy Liggett, a woman convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. As Hayes investigates the background for her case, the two begin to form a deep friendship, while all the while the date for her execution draws nearer.—Jonathan Broxton <[email protected]>

Cindy Liggett is waiting on death row for a brutal double murder she committed in her teens, 12 years earlier. All previous appeals for clemency have failed. Now, an order for her death has been delivered to her. She has 30 days remaining. Rick Hayes, brother of the governor's aide, comes to the state capital hoping to get a legal position. His brother John manages to get him a position on the Clemency Board. This is a challenging position as the current governor has not granted clemency yet in a capital case. After being rebuffed by Cindy several times, he manages to win her trust. He says he is going to get the death sentence changed to life in prison based on the argument that she was under the influence of crack cocaine when she committed the crime of which she was found guilty, and that she is no longer the same person she had been at the time of the murder. Under the influence of crack the murder is no longer premeditated. He appeals to Linda, the legal aide attorney who tried the case. She manages to find the judge on a fishing vacation. Rick flies out to argue for him to execute a stay. It is slow in coming. After being initially strapped in in preparation for her execution, the call comes for a last-minute stay so her case can be reviewed by an appeals panel. However, a short time later her death sentence is carried out. One of the victims was the son of an influential supporter of the governor. Afterward, Rick discovers an intricate drawing of the Taj Mahal that Cindy had made among the artwork that was created while she was incarcerated. He had provided the reference picture. Rick takes a trip to India to visit the Taj Mahal.—Garon Smith