Mike Weiss is a young Houston lawyer and a drug addict. Paul Danziger is his longtime friend and straitlaced law partner. They decide to take on a case involving Vicky, a local ER nurse, who is Needlestick injury. She contracts aids and ultimately dies. As Weiss and Danziger dig deeper into the case, they find a safer needle is available from inventor Jeffrey Dancort. No one will buy this needle because of a healthcare and pharmaceutical conspiracy and bribery racket. With the threat of exposure, heavyweight attorneys move in on the defense lead by attorney Nathaniel Price. Out of their league and out of money, the mounting pressure of the case pushes the two underdog lawyers and their business to the breaking point.