Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is a garrulous, silver-tongued, petty criminal, having some difficulty adjusting to the regimentation of life as a man sentenced to a term of hard labor in Mississippi. Reluctant to spend any more time crushing rocks, he scams his way off the chain gang with a clumsy duo of lame losers: sweet and simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), and the maladjusted Pete (John Turturro). The trio embarks on the adventure of a lifetime as they set out to pursue their freedom and the promise of sharing in the division of a fortune in buried treasure.