It's the tumultuous years of the 1970s, and Rabbi Meir Kahane and the Jewish Defense League have begun harassing Soviet officials and their families in a campaign to raise the issue of freedom for Soviet Jews to the forefront of the political agenda.
As a result of the JDL's actions, the issue of freedom for Soviet Jews is on the nightly news and the front pages of daily newspapers. Young Jews, followers of Rabbi Kahane, are arrested and face criminal prosecution.
Arthur Miller, a young attorney specializing in tax law, is recruited to assist lawyer Robert Persky in defending these young provocateurs.
Starting with arraignments, Miller's case load steadily increases. Soon, he is involved in more complicated criminal matters, including the infamous Sol Hurok case, in which a young Jewish girl lost her life.
In a strange twist of fate, Miller becomes involved in a legal controversy surrounding the bombing at Fraunces Tavern by a group of Puerto Rican nationalists who sought independence for their island homeland.
Representing a client who claims to have knowledge that can help catch the bombers, Miller attempts to negotiate an exchange of this information for the release of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who is serving a year in a halfway house for a parole violation.
Expecting his offer to be accepted quickly, Miller is surprised to find himself, instead, facing arrest as a target of the FBI. Believing himself to be a victim of official government antisemitism, he risks his career and his freedom as he resists official efforts to limit his rights as well as the rights of his clients.
