When rollercizing poetry professor Larry Henderson is arrested for the brutal murder of his wife, bright-eyed lawyer Josh Segal comes down from New York to the quirky town of East Peck, South Carolina to defend his first big case. After meeting his eccentric client and odd-ball team, Josh quickly realizes he's in over his head.

After coming up bust on a match to the DNA found in Larry's bedroom, Josh and his team discover a "sex print" on the wall that leads to a new suspect. Meanwhile, Josh gets sloppy and inadvertently gives a piece of damning evidence to the prosecution.

A new piece of evidence emerges that leads Josh an unlikely, and dangerous, new suspect: Larry's brother-in-law, Jeremiah Jefferson Davis. Meanwhile, the case takes another turn when the search for the murder weapon leads Dwayne to find a dismembered human arm.

As Josh focuses on his new suspect, Larry insists on taking a lie-detector test to help prove his innocence, but the results drop a bombshell on the case and the family. Dwayne briefly becomes a hometown celebrity as the man who found an arm in the lake, and the team gets a surprising new benefactor.

As Josh prepares for trial, his boss, Mr. Mankiewicz comes down from New York to check up on him and reveals a gigantic hole in Josh's case. Meanwhile, Larry, unsettled by his rift with his daughter and Josh's boss being in town, takes matters into his own hands, with deadly consequences.

After the prosecution presents its case for 28 grueling days, Josh's defense suffers a major setback when Summer turns into a suspect. When Larry forbids Josh from putting Summer on the stand, Josh must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to get Larry his freedom.

As Josh focuses on making his final case before closing arguments, he takes a huge gamble by putting Larry on the stand. Despite hiring the best witness coach in the South to train him, Larry's testimony leads to a shocking discovery about Larry's past that may be too difficult to overcome.

The trial is over and the verdict is finally announced. A key piece of evidence is found that answers the question, "Who killed Margaret Henderson".