An eye for an eye

Hank Clery spends his days climbing the dizzying heights of Chicago’s rail yards, swapping whiskey jokes with his crew and sending his hard‑earned wages home to his widowed Irish mother. When a priest delivers an urgent request—Hank must visit Jim Jackson, an old friend about to be hanged—he is torn between the loyalty he feels for the man he once knew and the shocking newspaper headline that paints Jim as a cold‑blooded murderer.

The journey takes Hank through the bustling streets to a white‑stone county jail that looks more like a grand bank than a place of punishment. Inside, rows of weary women and children wait, their faces a reminder of the community that bears the weight of the coming execution. As dusk settles, Hank confronts his own doubts, wondering whether a final conversation can reveal a truth hidden behind the headlines.