In an America riddled with unbridled crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has agreed that once a year, for 12 hours, all criminal activity, including murder, is legalized. The police cannot intervene. Hospitals suspend their services. For one night a year, the citizens themselves decide their own rules and impose their own laws, without fear of any sanctions. During a night such as this, haunted by violence and crime, a family must choose between being executioners or victims when confronted by the stranger who comes knocking at their door.