When former Chicago mob enforcer Ruben Bowman (Ice Cube) is released from prison, he is a man intent on changing his life. Disappearing into rural Texas, he finds work under a skilled furniture craftsman and retired Texas Ranger Gus Wanamaker (Tommy Lee Jones). As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, that bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.