District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impressive record in securing convictions and is contemplating a run for governor. Local reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) is suspicious, however, and starts investigating Hunter's caseload with the help of Assistant D.A. Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn). Nicholas decides to frame himself for an unsolved murder to expose Hunter's unscrupulous tactics. But things spin out of his control, and he ends up facing the death penalty.