The Master Plan Summary and Analysis  

Summary: Prologue: One Shot

In the early morning of November 6, 2006, Chris Wilson was taken from his cell, loaded onto a transfer bus, and driven to the courthouse. As required, he wore his prison uniform. At the courthouse, he was taken through security and placed in a holding cell with several members of the M-13 gang, who discussed in Spanish whether he was a snitch sent to eavesdrop on them. He didn’t react to their discussion, though he could understand it—he was fluent in three languages and was learning Mandarin. After a few hours, he was summoned—they called for “Inmate 265–975”—and taken out of the cell to the courtroom.

Wilson knew that this was his one chance to get out of prison. He’d served about 10 years of a life sentence, and his lawyer, Keith Showstack, had finally been successful in scheduling a sentence modification hearing. As the hearing got underway, the state’s attorney listed his offenses. He’d shot and killed a man. As a result, he’d been sentenced to life at the age of 17. When it was his turn to speak, he took a deep breath. “Your Honor,” he said, “I want to tell you the truth.”

Analysis: Prologue: One Shot

In this prologue, Chris Wilson introduces readers to the person he has become over the past decade of imprisonment. He’s ready before the guards even get there on the morning of his hearing. He’s planned in advance what he is going to say. He’s learned languages and is studying another. He bristles a little at having to wear the prison uniform, but he knows it is required. In short, he’s a perfect example of responsibility. Small details, like mentioning the uniform and his designation as “Inmate 265–975,” contrast Wilson’s uniqueness and strong sense of self with the dehumanizing aspects of prison life, drawing readers into the narrative. He creates suspense by leaving the narrative off just as he begins to address the judge.

Wilson also introduces main ideas that will be important throughout the book. Sharing that he’s studying languages introduces the main idea of education, while the main idea of poverty and violence is suggested by the fact that he has a pro bono lawyer and of course that he is in prison for a violent crime. The main idea of moving from pain to purpose is built into the purpose of the hearing: to determine whether Wilson will get a second chance at freedom or be in prison for life.