From that explosive opening we move to the courtroom of Judge Dorr III where we meet Joe Carter, a lawyer with one of Pittsburgh's larger law firms. Dorr is not a fan of Carter. Carter is big on body language, letting it speak his disbelief of Robert Hart's story. Mr. Hart was the person who let out the shrieking scream as his feet where hit by the liquid steel. Unfortunately for Mr. Hart there is a question as to whether his actions caused the accident or the company he worked for was at fault.
As the trial takes place you learn more of the back story behind the trial - Joe Carter once helped break a labor strike which has made him a target of some of Hart's less than savory co-workers. It quickly becomes clear that something isn't quite right with the trial, particularly the jury. Carter becomes concerned, reporting the issues to a senior partner in his law firm. The reply? "There's no percentage for you creating an issue when pursing the firm's immediate interests don't require you to."
From there the next 400-plus pages are a tumble through the world of personal-injury claims. Carter wants to do the right thing but at what price?
"Everything in life has a price. Each of us has to decide whether we're willing to pay the price without regard to the consequences."