David Dunkleman (Strathairn) is a Jewish liberal humanist and a lawyer who works for the court system. He is assigned to defend Mike Downey (Andrew Walker), a member of the Aryan Brotherhood who is accused of a brutal, racially motivated murder. Behind prison walls, the two have a clash of ideologies as Dunkleman attempts to put his professional beliefs before his personal beliefs, and his client clings to his hateful beliefs.