Ethan McDaniel is a young Charleston attorney eager to embark upon a prosperous legal career. When his first trial takes him to Folkston, a small town in the South Carolina mountains, he discovers he's prepared for everything but life. Ethan's put up in a seedy motel, ignored by the other attorneys, and disillusioned by the trial's slow, plodding pace. But he befriends some extraordinary locals, and discovers even his best courtroom skills can't help against the harsh realities of the law. As the trial sputters forward, Ethan comes to understand that to be a great lawyer is nowhere near as important as being a great person, and he has potential to be both.

In this engaging and provocative examination of ambition, unlikely friendships, and social hierarchies, Brian Livingston taps into the common desires and hurts that unite, and divide, us all.