 Officer William Sweet apprehends a holdup man, Eric Gray, running away from a store. Eric, a school friend of Sweet, confesses that he broke out of Butler County jail, where he had been beaten by the brutal Sheriff Ed Thompson, a close friend of Chief Bill Gillespie. Thompson and two deputies transfer Eric from the Sparta jail, with the prisoner frantically declaring that he will be killed in Butler County. The next day Bubba Skinner gets word that Eric died during the night. The coroner s x-rays show the cause of death as blunt force trauma. Bill and Sweet feel individually responsible. Eric s sister Jenny blames Sweet, although Mrs. Gray absolves him of any blame. Bill and Virgil Tibbs resolve to avenge the offense, but Sweet rashly takes matters into his own hands, placing himself in great danger.