Twelve Miles Out

In the lawless waters of the Prohibition era, Jerry is a man defined by a pathological need to win, specifically at the expense of his perennial rival, Red. Their competition spans the globe, from the boudoirs of Paris to the diamond mines of Africa, but it reaches a fever pitch off the American coast. Jerry is a high-stakes rum-runner who doesn't just break the law; he colonizes the lives of those he encounters. When his bootlegging operation requires a base of operations, he commandeers the seaside estate of Jane, a high-society woman who initially views him with justified contempt. After an attempted betrayal leads Jerry to kidnap both Jane and her milquetoast fiancé, the setting shifts to the claustrophobic confines of a smuggler's vessel. As the ship crosses the twelve-mile limit into international waters, the power dynamics shift. Jane finds herself inexplicably drawn to Jerry’s raw masculinity, culminating in a violent, high-seas confrontation between Jerry and Red that leaves the morality of the 'hero' in deep, murky water.