When anti-capital punishment activist David Gale (Kevin Spacey) ends up on death row for the rape/murder of his colleague Constance Harraway (Laura Linney), he waits until four days before his execution to give his first interview. He agrees to meet with Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), a naive young reporter with a history of protecting sources for a significant sum of money. Not too long into the movie, we realize that the brilliant ex-philosophy professor is playing Bitsey, but it takes a while before we know why. Gale recounts how a false rape charge caused him to lose his job, wife, child, house -- even his self-esteem. When he learns that his dearest friend Constance is dying of Leukemia, he feels that his cause is more important than his life. Resigned to the fact that he will die, Gale pleads with Bitsey to prove his innocence f! or the sake of his son. He wants the world to know how he lived his life and the reasons behind decisions he made.