Promising high school athlete Moses Johnson is swept up in the Chicago criminal justice system after a drug bust gone wrong. Public defender Franklin Roberts considers retirement and his impact on the community.

When Moses is on a collision course with the Chicago Police Department, he makes contact with the one person who could save him; Martha chases political aspirations.

Officer Logan begins to question his own department; Lieutenant Brannigan presses Moses for a confession; Franklin revisits the crime scene, finding a new angle for the defence.

As Moses waits for bail, he adjusts to jail; Brannigan opens up to Logan; after stumbling on evidence of police misconduct, Franklin continues to put together a defence; Joshua makes a discovery.

Franklin gets sobering news; Moses reunites with an old acquaintance; Officer Logan gets a new position; Norma holds a barbecue to raise money for Moses's bail.

Moses fights influences in prison and begins to doubt Franklin's motives; Joshua sinks deeper into the Nation as Martha faces pressure from the community; Franklin makes a discovery.