Here are all kinds of lawyers, each with their own skills and talents. Martha Costello (Maxine Peake) is a single, passionate defense lawyer in her thirties who is preparing to apply for the Royal Bar. Martha faces challenging cases and clients that surprise her. Her beliefs, her prejudices, her conscience, and the limits of her faith are tested in a series of courses in the criminal justice system. Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones) is the same age as Martha. But he is funny, talented, but also shrewd. Both of them are lawyers at the same time, and both of them have applied for the Royal Bar. Their performance in court directly affects their fate, and Clive knows how to play this game... Who will become a royal lawyer in the end?