A Simple Plan

Hank Mitchell lives in a small Ohio town. His brother Jacob and Jacob's friend Lou are with him when they come across a small plane wrecked in the woods. The pilot is dead, and a gym bag in the wreck holds $4.4 million in cash.

They decide not to report the find. The three agree to divide the money and keep quiet through the winter, to see whether anyone comes looking for it. On paper the arrangement is easy to follow, and that is what makes it tempting.

Keeping the secret proves harder than finding it. Each move to protect it draws them deeper into lies and violence: a body to hide, a witness to silence, Lou's growing suspicion to manage. Hank's wife, Sarah, adds her own cold calculations to the mix.

This is a crime thriller published in 1993, built as a slow unraveling rather than a chase. It follows ordinary people, not career criminals, and shows how one bad decision leads to the next. The mood is tense and bleak, and the pressure tightens as each step makes the previous one impossible to undo.