Mired by economic turmoil, Ansel Smith and his family squeeze into a small trailer on the outskirts of Dallas, TX. Chris, the family's outcast son, needs a quick solution to his mounting debt and ruthless collectors. Chris stumbles upon Killer Joe Cooper, a detective who moonlights as a can't-miss hit-man, and he cooks up a sinister scheme targeting his mother's large life insurance policy. Without money up front to afford the hit, Chris and Killer Joe come to a chilling compromise involving Chris' younger sister Dottie.