Public Defender Kathy Baker visits the small Florida town of Deep Water to defend a young client being used as a pawn by a politically minded judge. She stumbles onto the town's many peculiarities including a criminally minded backwoods family, an abusive deputy, alligators running rampant, and a crazed environmentalist, all presided over by an eccentric judge, ""Maximum"" Bob Gibbs.

Judge Gibbs' gubernatorial campaign is temporarily derailed by allegations of sexual assault levelled by a former intern. Elvin Crowe and Sheriff Gary hunt down Sonny and another convict after the two break out of prison.