Cinda Hayes no longer believes in the legal system the way she used to. She's left her job as Chief Prosecutor of the Sex Crimes Unit in the District Attorney's office to become Director of the Boulder County Rape Crisis Center. But she hasn't been long in her new position when she finds herself agreeing to defend a death row murderer - who's also been convicted of rape.
Accepting the case causes tension at the center, but though Cinda abhors the crimes he's committed, she abhors the death penalty more. And her client, Jason Smiley's claims of innocence are so persuasive that she starts to wonder if he is the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice. The more she becomes involved in his case the more the rest of her life goes awry - including her relationship with criminal lawyer Sam Holt, who has also had dealings with Smiley. And who, Cinda realizes, is trying to tell her that Smiley is as guilty as they come . . .
