John Wisdom is a young man just out of college. On the night of his high school graduation, he had got drunk and stolen a car. With a grand theft auto conviction he is branded a felon and as a result can not hold down a decent job. Seeing no future for himself, Wisdom takes a left turn: he decides to become a criminal "for the people", evocative of Robin Hood. After seeing news reports about impoverished farmers and working class people being sent to the bank to pay ownership debts, Wisdom goes on a bank robbing spree with his girlfriend, Karen Simmons; they don't steal money, but rather erase loan and mortgage records, buying time for the poor to pay their debts.