It's summer, and conflict simmers just below the surface of a steamy Southern town. Passions ignite after the brutal rape of a young black girl, and suddenly it's a time to question, to rage and to kill. Into this cauldron of bigotry and vengeance enters an idealistic young lawyer who risks his job, his home and his family to fight for justice in this hard-edged adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling novel.