Orphaned by an act of senseless violence, half-brothers Clarence and Elliot start life with two strikes against them. Raised in state institutions, unaware of any world outside, their lives take a sudden turn when they are seized as hostages by Earl Sheridan, a convicted killer en route to death row... Sheridan is a psychopath of the worst kind - but he has to potential to change the boys' lives for ever, taking them a a frenetic escape from the law through California and Texas. With an ever growing tide of violence following in their wake, they are soon forced to make a choice about their lives, and their relationship to one another.