After the sudden death of her father, San Francisco mediator Kate Reed must work with her stepmother, who’s the same age, to keep his firm alive by resolving a dispute between a clothing magnate and his son, who’s due to inherit the business, and hiding a dark personal secret which could ruin an innocent boy’s life.

Kate mediates a settlement between the State of California and Steve Jenks, a wrongfully convicted man who spent 22 years in prison. As Kate tries to put a price on the years he lost, Steve escapes into a prison of his own making, refusing to deal with the pain of his past -- until, when pushed, he explodes.

Kate’s nemesis Judge Nicastro assigns her to mediate a case between a high school football coach and the angry parents who claim his old school methods border on abuse. When the videotaped evidence doesn’t make sense to her, Kate unearths the real reason for the coach’s controversial actions.