"Joker" (Tony Curtis) and "Cullen" (Sidney Poitier) are chained together on a prison bus when it has an accident. Seeing a chance, and despite the fact that they pretty much loathe each other, they abscond and plan to jump a train to escape. As they flee, they gradually learn to respect - even like - each other before arriving at a smallholding where they befriend the woman (Cara Williams) who lives there with her young son "Billy" (Kevin Coughlin). After a few days, it becomes clear that she and "Joker" have taken a bit of a shine to each other, and so she concocts a plan to drive the now sepa...