There are crimes of blood and there are crimes which are just crimes. The people of Clanton, Mississippi have no doubt which is which when Carl Lee Hailey guns down thugs who raped his young daughter, but outside Clanton crimes are seen in terms of race, creed and colour and, once people hear that a black man has killed two whites, an angry mob descends on the town, determined to tear down, burn and destroy. In the maelstrom Clanton has become, Jake Brigance will do anything to defend his client, Carl Lee, his case and ultimately, Carl's life and that of his family.