Russell Earl Millings (Ethan Hawke) was imprisoned as a 23-year-old for a Clinton era third strike -- holding an ounce of weed. Now at 44, he is released to regain his life in a world unfamiliar and bleak. Living in a motel and working as a dishwasher in a fast food restaurant, Russ discovers email and the Internet and reconnects with his younger self at a carnival. One night, while taking out the garbage, he hears a cry -- and within the dumpster is an abandoned baby girl named Ella. Unsure of what to do, Russ soon realizes this child could be his chance at redemption.