Kimble finds work as a construction worker in Nebraska where he is recongized by building contract; the unscrupulous Alex ""Pat"" Patton, who once built a theater in his home town. But a wall of the theater collapsed due to faulty construction which killed three children. Although exonerated of manslaughter charges, the townspeople have been irate to him ever since. Now two years later, Pat's company faces financial ruin, yet Pat pours his own money into a mysterious ""motel"" his crew is now building. Pat approaches Kimble and tells him that he knows who he is from a wanted poster he keeps in his office. He tells Kimble about his plight and that he has one month to live because he's dying from a heart condition. Pat wants Kimble to keep him alive long enough to finish the ""motel"" and if Kimble refuses to do so or flees, Pat will turn him in to the local authorities.