Bitter and broken from a cheating wife and a shattered marriage, Lazarus's (Samuel L. Jackson) soul is lost in spent dreams and betrayal's contempt, until Rae (Christina Ricci). Half naked and beaten unconscious, Rae is left for dead on the side of the road when Lazarus discovers her. The God-fearing Lazarus quickly learns that the young white woman he's nursing back to health is none other than the town tramp from the small Tennessee town where they live. Worse, she has a peculiar anxiety disorder. He realises when the fever hits, Rae's affliction has more to do with love lost than any found. Abused as a child and abandoned by her mother, Rae is used by just about every man in the phone book. Her only hope is Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), but escape to a better life is short-lived when Ronnie ships off for boot camp. Desperation kicks-in, as a drug-induced Rae reverts to surviving the only way she knows how, by giving any man what he wants to get what she needs, until Lazarus. 'Lazarus decides to cure Rae of her wicked ways. He chains her to his radiator, justifying his unorthodox methods with quoted scripture. Unleashing Rae emotionally, Lazarus unchains his heart, finding love again in Angela (S. Epatha Merkerson). By saving Rae, he frees himself.