Marine veteran and former middleweight boxing champion Julian Taylor loses control in a bar fight and ends up serving time for aggravated assault. Soon after his arrival, Julian is introduced to Captain Brown, a menacing, overbearing guard who tags him "Dogboy" and orders him to a claustrophobic dormitory called the doghouse. There, Julian meets fellow inmate Willy Owens and learns that the prison's vicious attack dogs are used to catch and kill escaping prisoners.

"They can smell your fear."