Plot
In the film's opening scene, two off-duty soldiers exploring the desert shooting range near their Army base find a partially buried human skeleton. Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper), the Sheriff of Rio County, is called to the scene and arranges for a forensic examination. It soon appears that the remains are those of Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), who had been sheriff forty years earlier. Wade, a notoriously corrupt and violent man, had disappeared after a public confrontation with Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey), Sam's late father and one of Wade's deputies. Buddy Deeds succeeded Wade as sheriff and was a popular and respected civic leader until his death 30 years later. It was on the strength of Buddy's reputation that Sam later became sheriff, although it is clear that Sam's relationship with his father was a tense one. The county's new courthouse is about to be named in honor of Buddy Deeds in a public ceremony. Now it falls to Sam to investigate the killing of Wade, in which Buddy may have been involved.
Some of the older residents of Rio County, who knew both Charlie Wade and Buddy Deeds, warn Sam that investigating Wade's death may uncover things that are best left hidden. Despite these warnings Sam continues his investigation. In the process, he reconnects with a former high school sweetheart, Pilar Cruz (Elizabeth Peña), now a widow and schoolteacher with two teenage children. Buddy and Pilar's mother, Mercedes Cruz, had forbidden the relationship when they were teenagers; Sam and Pilar had assumed that racial prejudice was the reason, although Buddy had always enjoyed cordial relations with the county's Mexican population. In a flashback scene, it is revealed that Mercedes was widowed when her husband Eladio Cruz was shot by Wade for smuggling illegal Mexican immigrants, as Wade and Hollis were performing what Hollis assumed was routine questioning on a rural county road that was frequently used to smuggle Mexicans into Rio County.
Sam is convinced that Buddy killed Charlie Wade, but after a discussion with Otis Payne, a local bar owner, and Hollis, the current mayor and a former deputy for both Wade and Buddy, it is revealed that Buddy and Hollis both shot Charlie to prevent him from murdering Otis. The reason for Mercedes' dislike of Sam are revealed when Sam realizes that Buddy and Pilar's mother, Mercedes, had an affair that resulted in Buddy fathering Pilar. Sam also discovers that Buddy stole $10,000 from Rio County and bought Mercedes the local Mexican food restaurant and covered it up by saying that Wade had taken the money and left town for good. In the end, Sam and Pilar decide to continue their relationship in spite of knowing they are half-siblings.
Although the film is a murder mystery, interwoven within it are several other stories, each of which helps to reveal the complexities of ethnic relations within the town.
- Delmore Payne (Joe Morton), the new commander of the local army base, must come to terms with his father Otis Payne (Ron Canada) who abandoned him and his son (Eddie Robinson) who does not wish to follow him into the Army.
- Mercedes Cruz (Míriam Colón), a prominent member of the Hispanic community, is forced to deal with a past that she thought was long forgotten.
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