Ex-con turned poet/performer Lemon Andersen fights for an exit from generations of poverty by bringing his life's secrets to the New York stage. But revisiting his troubled past has more in store than he bargained for, as he is confronted by his demons time and again.

In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan ordered a moratorium on the death penalty after university students uncovered new evidence proving the innocence of 13 men on death row. This documentary follows the hearings held by a panel Ryan appointed to study the issue and interviews activists, scholars and prisoners, while examining the history of the American death penalty. As Ryan's time in office comes to an end, he must decide what steps to take to reform the judicial system.