As the trial of a well-known TV journalist accused of murdering a world-famous novelist unfolds, the defendant's claim to innocence becomes increasingly undermined.

When Malcolm Hill, a black eighteen-year-old voting rights worker, is arrested for murder, white congressman Chase Brevard of Massachusetts finds his life transformed in a single moment by the appearance of Malcolm's photo on the news, enveloping him, Malcolm, and Malcolm's mother in a media firestorm that threatens their lives.