Elsbeth finally makes it as a true New Yorker when she is summoned to jury duty and lands on a murder trial where she faces off with the unusually difficult Judge Milton Crawford, who will prove a formidable adversary.

Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn, who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side.

While investigating the mysterious death of a college admissions officer, Elsbeth finds herself fencing with Lawrence Grey, an independent educational consultant who promises an Ivy League future to high-paying clients and their painfully average kids. The case also causes Elsbeth and Teddy to question how well she prepared him for the real world.

When Elsbeth takes a tour of famous New York crime scenes she is left with nagging questions about a legendary Mafia slaying in Little Italy, and about the owner of the family restaurant where it happened, Pupetta Del Ponte. Also, Judge Crawford's grudge against Elsbeth causes a roadblock in the investigation

As Judge Milton Crawford inches closer to becoming a federal judge, Elsbeth scours his past to prove he's a murderer before it's too late, but her attempts to take him down put everyone around her in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Teddy considers following in his mother's professional footsteps.