The blazing sun has sent the thermometer soaring over 100 degrees, and the three thousand inmates of McHenry Penitentiary, an aging, decrepit institution built to hold six hundred, are beginning to simmer. Governor David Horton, ignoring his advisors' warnings, adamantly refuses to allocate money to repair and expand the crumbling overcrowded facility. A prison riot, however, could be just the trump card needed by his political rival Glen Tobias. Moreover, certain inmates are aware that a riot would provide the perfect cover for an escape attempt. The new player in events at McHenry is young...