This story, structured like a traditional 12-bar blues song, with three sections each made out of four chapters, follows blues musician Lem Taylor's harrowing journey across Arkansas in the late 20s, hunted for a crime he didn't commit. He and his blues companion find a gig in a juke just outside a small town. That night, they accept the invitation of two ladies to go home with them. When one of their white boyfriends shows up unexpectedly, the result is a triple murder with only Lem and his lady friend left standing.