David Gale sits on death row, awaiting execution by lethal injection--an irony not lost on the imprisoned death penalty opponent. Charged with and convicted of the rape and murder of a fellow activist, the former university professor contacts a hardened investigative reporter in a final attempt to clear his name.   From her interview with Gale, Bitsey Bloom learns that the case isn't as open and shut as it seems. Convinced that Gale isn't guilty, Bitsey finds herself working on the story of a lifetime--tracing the events that led up to a woman's murder and put an innocent man behind bars, and racing against time to save him.