Elizabeth Canterbury (Julianna Margulies) takes a case that hits close to home as she defends a young man accused of kidnapping and murdering a little boy. Much to the chagrin of her partner Russell Krauss (Ben Shenkman), Elizabeth will do whatever it takes to prove her client's innocence - even if it means bending the law. She enlists the help of her colleagues Chester (Keith Robinson) and Molly (Trieste Dunn), and that of a private investigator, Frank Angstrom (James McCaffrey), with whom she happens to be having an affair. Tension runs high between Elizabeth and her husband Matt (Aidan Quinn) as their marriage struggles to recover from the loss of their young son, Sam.