James Jackson falls in love with the determined and energetic Trudy Baker in kindergarten. Her sheer determination to be the first girl to swing over the top bar sets a fire in his heart that never dies. When he makes a declaration of love at the tender age of five, he lets his best friend Denny take the credit, setting a course of action that will forever seal their fate.
 
James did everything right. He took Trudy in after her divorce, welcomed her child as his own, rejoiced when they had a son. He gave up his career, resettled in their small home town, and lived every day to make Trudy happy. But when she left him for Denny, James could never recover. When Trudy winds up brutally murdered, the entire town points to James. He has, after all, fallen from grace. Living on the streets, slave to the bottle, forever under the shadow of Denny, now the town sheriff.
 
The judge and jury declared James must die for his crime, and James agreed. He couldn't imagine living a single day without Trudy, even if she was no longer his. On that fated day, he spends those seven minutes reliving every moment that led him to the cold metal gurney.