In the series premiere, “Pilot”, Hayes needs to dig herself out of what could be a publicly embarrassing situation. She makes a clandestine deal with her adversary, Conner Wallace, to take on the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) and justice system in order to save face, not only for herself, but for her family.

Hayes' recent transgressions spark a media firestorm. Meanwhile, she and the team tackle the highly-sensitive case of a mother, Penny, convicted for the death of her autistic son. The state's evidence come from Penny's own video blog, which express her frustrations and fears about her violent son. While the CIU team tracks multiple leads, Hayes must do damage control in an attempt to save her job.

The accidental death of an African-American boy, shot by a cop, sparks a racial firestorm and inspires Hayes to re-examine the controversial case of Porscha Williams, an African-American civil-rights activist. Meanwhile, Maxine finds herself torn between her racial identity and her chosen profession, as she follows the case to its shocking conclusion.