Werner Herzog's typically probing documentary examines the case of two death row inmates accused of murdering three people in order to steal their car. The film is based around extensive interviews with the two men convicted of the crime: Jason Burkett, who will be eligible for parole in 2041, and Michael Perry, who was executed by lethal injection eight days after Herzog interviewed him. Herzog also talks to friends and family of both the accused and the victims of the crime, as well as prison officials, the death row chaplain and the head of the team of law enforcement officers responsible for preparing prisoners to be executed.