1948 – Mississippi
In the years following World War II, a town too proud of its virtues has to deal with its first murder. Despite the implication of the crime, the town of Beneficent, Mississippi, population 479, tries to hold onto its vain image. The young veteran Jack Davis wholeheartedly believes the town’s idyllic vision. He tries to share it with newcomer Lisa Kemper, but she is repelled by everything in the community. While the sheriff tries to find the murderer, Jack and Lisa’s contentious courtship reveals the town’s astute perceptions and surprising blind spots. But unexpectedly, the couple finds a kind of evil danger seething beneath the town’s placid surface.
When pride blinds us to the truth we accept our lies.