On a dark, foggy San Francisco evening, Jeremy Fullerton, a hot-shot California senator with his eye on the presidency, is found murdered in the front seat of his car after speaking at a political fundraiser. The police arrest a young black male found fleeing the scene. The youth, a medical student, says that he tried to help the senator, but ran because he was afraid of the police. However, all the evidence says otherwise. The only lawyer willing to take the case, fraught with political and social ramifications, is an outsider - and Joseph Antonelli leaves his Portland, Oregon, practice in search of justice. As he begins to prepare his defense, he finds himself lost in a world ruled by backroom politics and old money. He digs deeper and uncovers a chain of deceit, betrayal and naked ambition - and soon discovers just how much one person will risk in order to leave behind a legacy.