Procedure 769 is the bureaucratic euphemism for the death penalty in California, USA. This film focuses on eleven witnesses to the execution of convicted murderer Robert Alton Harris. Among the observers are San Quentin’s former prison warden who supervises the execution and the family of one of Harris victims. Also present are a journalist; official witnesses, including the current sheriff of San Diego; a VIP witness (the only person present who is actually against death penalty); a psychiatrist; and Harris distant cousin who is a church minister from Alabama. All have mixed and contradictory feelings about the execution. Throughout the film, the vital role the media plays on public opinion prompts us to re-examine the real costs of extreme retribution.