It is 1859. Abraham Lincoln has just finished an unsuccessful quest for the U.S. Senate. His legal career is intertwined with his love of politics and his belief that one can support the other. His celebrity as a politician is on the rise, but his love of the law is hard to give up. Lincoln has tried nearly 20 murder cases and still craves the courtroom and its drama. Months before he will receive the Republican nomination for President, he accepts the defense of Peachy Quinn Harrison, accused of killing a childhood friend in Pleasant Plains, Illinois. Harrison's younger sister, Virginia, forms an instant bond with Lincoln and immerses herself in her brother's defense. At trial, Lincoln teams up with his former law partner to claim Harrison acted in self-defense. A seasoned prosecutor represents the State and is assisted by an arrogant lawyer with no respect for women - particularly women interested in the law. The trial is hard fought, with the prosecution countering that passion was the motive. After the jury's dramatic verdict, and against the backdrop of the Civil War, Virginia determines she wants to be a lawyer. Her failures and triumphs culminate in a befitting and ironic climax.