Laura Rizzatti, a law clerk for Oregon Supreme Court Justice Robert Griffen, is found slain late one night in the deserted courthouse. Her office has been ransacked - but nothing seems to be missing. There are no suspects and no clues. The following month Justice Griffen himself is killed by a car bomb in the driveway of his Portland home.

This time, though, there is a suspect: In a shocking turn of events, Abigail Griffen, star prosecutor in the Multnomah County district attorney's office and estranged wife of Justice Griffen, is charged with first-degree murder.

Abbie hires Matthew Reynolds, a legendary attorney who specializes in death-penalty defenses, to represent her. Reynolds is assisted by Tracy Cavanaugh, a young lawyer who had clerked with Laura Rizzatti on the Supreme Court. As Tracy investigates the Griffen case for Reynolds, she stumbles upon information that initially makes her think the Griffen and Rizzatti murders are related; she soon finds further evidence that hints of serious corruption on the Court.

Ultimately, though, as she pieces the puzzle together, Tracy begins to suspect she's uncovered a plot so bizarre that she is no longer sure whom to trust, or where to turn. Meanwhile, Matthew Reynolds is confident of winning Abbie's case and setting her free...