Walter (Kevin Bacon), a convicted child molester, returns home to Philadelphia after serving 12 years in prison. His friends and family have abandoned him, with the exception of his brother-in-law, Carlos (Benjamin Bratt). Walter's apartment is just across the street from an elementary schoolâan obvious source of temptation. He gets a job at a local lumber mill and meets Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick), one of the few women working there. After sleeping with Vicki, Walter tells her that he molested little girls, but rationalizes his crimes by saying "I didn't hurt them." Vicki is clearly shocked and disturbed by this new information, but before she can consider how to respond to it, Walter tells her to leave his apartment.