Shackles plot
Ben desperately tries to put his life in order to win back his ex-wife. An old friend secures him a new job as an English teacher at Rikers' Island Prison. Ben is not having much success with his class and he has to get more students or else his class will be disbanded. This gives Ben the idea to give up Riker's Island for a national poetry competition for schools and in this way get more attention for education in prisons. When Ben finally manages to get a student outside of prison to take part in this competition, events take an unexpected and horrific turn...