Reader is in Oxford, prosecuting three students accused of sexually assaulting a waitress. Up against an intimidating defence counsel, he begins to waver, but a chance encounter with an old friend helps him discover a passion for prosecuting he didn't know he still had. When the case is in danger of collapsing, Reader is faced with one of the biggest decisions of his career. Meanwhile, Costello defends Ricky Armitage, who trashed his local mini-mart and attacked the shopkeep. His level of violence and lack of remorse is astounding, yet Costello tries to divert the self-destructive path that the young man was fated to walk.