For decades the border town of Frontera, Texas has been controlled by two powerful men- the racist, trigger-happy Sheriff Charley Wade (Kris Kristofferson) and the man who, the story goes, ran Wade clear out of the county one hot night in 1957, Sheriff Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey).

Now Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) is the new Sheriff in town, bitter over the Years spent under the shadow of his legendary father, Buddy, it is Sam who must investigate when a skeleton is found outside of town. The only clues left by the half-buried bones are a Masonic ring and a Rio County sheriff’s badge.