A young man falsely accused of murder escapes into the vast, treacherous Okefenokee swamp, where the slow rhythms of the marsh and the rough honesty of its few inhabitants test his courage; sheltered by a reclusive trapper, entangled with a local woman, and stalked by persistent lawmen and hostile pursuers, he must navigate the dangerous terrain — both physical and moral — to survive, prove his innocence, and reckon with the conflicting codes of justice and loyalty that bind the swamp community.