Martin Vail is a famed defense lawyer who volunteers his services to Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a Kentucky teenager charged with the murder of a Chicago archbishop.

For high-powered Chicago attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere), guilty or innocent are not degrees to decide. His job is to defend—especially when a case might put his name in the headlines and further his career.

When Vail hears that a penniless altar boy (Edward Norton) is accused of murdering the local archbishop, he snaps up the case, eager for the media spotlight. Little does he know that it will uncover a viper's nest of corruption, pit him against a prosecutor (Laura Linney) who's his ex-lover, and test all his skill, judgement and even his win-at-any-cost attitude.