In Louisiana in 1935, inmates at the Cold Mountain Correctional Facility call Death Row "The Green Mile" because of the dark green linoleum that tiles the floor. Paul Edgecomb (played by Tom Hanks) is the head guard on the Green Mile when a new inmate arrives: John Coffey (played by Michael Clarke Duncan), who is to be executed for the murder of two young girls. Despite his size and the fearsome crimes for which he's serving time, Coffey seems to be a kind and well-mannered person who behaves more like an innocent child than a hardened criminal. Soon Edgecomb and two of his fellow guards, Howell (played by David Morse) and Stanton (played by Barry Pepper), notice something odd about Coffey: he's able to perform what seem to be miracles of healing, like bringing a dead mouse back to life, leading them to wonder just what sort of person he could be, and if he could have done the crimes with which he was charged.