The senseless murder of a Kansas farm family prompts popular author Truman Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, to travel to Holcomb, Kansas to do research for an article. Digging deeper into the story, Capote is inspired to expand it into a book...but becomes deeply troubled by his feelings of compassion toward Perry Smith, one of the men accused of the crime, and dreading the inevitable execution that would end Capote's conflict and give closure to his book.