Idealistic young lawyer Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) is determined to bypass the topsy-turvy madness of the US legal system and do his best for his clients. However, Arthur's idealism takes a battering when he is pressured to defend a judge (John Forsythe) he knows to be guilty of raping a young girl. Arthur now has to make the most important choice of his life - the choice between his career and his conscience. Directed by Norman Jewison, with a screenplay by husband-and-wife writing team Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin.