Dennis Fleetwood appeared in court effectively and frequently. Time and time again the lawyer for the other side was John Eldridge. During a meeting in John's office Dennis noticed a picture of a woman he thought he recognized. It was John's mother, a mother whom John never knew. She, strangely, had placed him in a boarding school in Great Britain. Later Dennis discovered that the woman's picture was in an antique watch that had been hidden in his briefcase during his flight from Harvard to California. The discovery of that watch, and Dennis' naive attempt to use the law to help John Eldridge find his mother, led Dennis down a path that threatened, not only his career, but his life. He was no match for the violent responses that resulted from that guileless attempt to help John.