Accountant Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent prison in the 1940s for the murder of his unfaithful wife and her lover, despite protesting his innocence. He slowly comes to terms with the inustices of the corrupt prison system and quielt inspires some of his fellow prison inmates to have a more positive outlook on life. Meanwhile, the Governor of the prison discovers Dufresne's book-keeping talents and recruits him to do a spot of creative accountanty. Fellow inmate, ageing gangster Red (Morgan Freeman), uses his connections to take care of Dufresne's material needs, and narrates the story of his friend's term in jail through to the late sixties.