Two boys, Ellis and his friend Neckbone, find a man named Mud hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. He tells them his story, of how he killed a man in Texas and of the vengeful bounty hunters who are coming to get him, of his plans to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper, who is waiting for him in town. Redolent of the sleepy Mississipi world of Mark Twain, warm and humourous, but with a desperation churning beneath the surface, Mud is a beautiful old-fashioned big-screen film.