Like everybody else, Blake Pellerin (William Hurt) has a past.  Unlike everybody else, heâ??s running for the Governor of Missouri, so his past is under intense scrutiny as he rushes from one appearance to the next. Blake handles it well, trading barbs with his opponent, while managing to maintain a strained relationship with his wife. When a reporter begins asking questions about Blakeâ??s political mentor, Kim Mennaker (Hawthorne), Blake starts to get a little nervous. A strange note left in his room leads Blake to a meeting where he finds Mennaker intending to blackmail him with incriminating photos. Now Blake finds that thereâ??s no one he can trust as his campaign and life unravel.