Ramsey is ordered along with his fellow prisoners back from the oat field from which they have searched, all day, for the body of a missing girl. The freshly-killed body of Webster, a former prisoner, also remains in the field.

Carson City, where Ramsey's prison is located, is a "squalid" settlement that once had a bit of industry but now has no industry and lots of unemployment. George Smiley built Carson Spring's first successful store; after he died, his alcoholic son, Dewey, ran the business into the ground. 

The prisoners are ushered to the cafeteria, share a dismal lunch, then are hustled into the shower and their dorms. Ramsey isn't close with the others; he observes them like a scientist. Inside, he burns with anger when he recalls Webster's death.

After Dewey quits his store, he encounters Melissa Gayle while drunk in his car. He shoves her in, drives her to an abandoned factory, rapes her, and murders her. 

Due to the circling of vultures, her body is determined to be somewhere in an oat field. Since it's large and dense, the sheriff requests the help of prisoners. On a scorching summer's day, they are lined up in rows and commanded to search for her. In the hubbub after her body is found, Webster attempts to sneak away. He rips his shirt off, grinning triumphantly in the sun, before promptly being shot by a guard. After murdering Melissa, Dewey dies in a drunken car accident. 

Sheriff Earl informs Melissa's mother of her body's discovery; he thinks proudly of how detached he has become from violence and tragedy, recalling a time where he shot a thief in the head, then attended his funeral. 

Lying awake that night, Ramsey replays Webster's death, and decides that Webster "won"; his escape showed vision, and he gave Ramsey hope.