A woman named Elizabeth Parsons (Ashley Judd) is framed and consequently convicted of the murder of her husband, Nick Parsons (Bruce Greenwood). She spends about six years in jail and during that time she finds out that her husband is alive, and that he faked his death. She finds out that he also has taken her son from her friend whom she left her son with when she was sent to jail. A friend then tells her about the concept of "double jeopardy" (that you cannot be tried for the murder of the same person twice). Knowing this, she plots her revenge and sets out to find her husband and her son. At one point an investigator named Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones) catches on to what she is about to do and starts following her.