David Mitchell (Richard Chamberlain), a widowed lawyer in a small New Mexico city, is appointed by Judge Tucker to defend Ben Brown (Nick Adams (actor, born 1931)) who has been charged with murder. Norris Bixby, an ambitious local prosecutor, has been assigned to try the case, hoping to fill the shoes of Art Harper (Claude Rains), a famed local prosecutor as well as David's friend and mentor, who is now retired.