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In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about
the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas.
Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to
the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the
story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest
work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the
prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a
troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion
for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree.
However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book
which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for
both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would
produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction.