On October 6, 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard was found tied to a fence, beaten, and unconscious. Two days later, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested for his kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder. The charges were amended to first-degree murder when Matthew died after spending five days in a coma. In November of that same year, Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project made their first trip (of six) to Laramie to meet with and interview the people of the town. The result is a compassionate and complex portrait of a town shocked by the inexplicably brutal act of hatred.