Maryland lawyer Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae has two tough cases that quickly turn worse, when both clients-a poor black girl and a white, middle-class man-are accused of murder. Sam's inquiries into the cases lead her to Washington, DC's suburban ghettos where she discovers an odd link between them: the seamy world of girl gangs and computer pornography.

The stakes rise considerably as more people die at the hands of a maniacal killer who'll do anything to keep Sam from learning the truth. Sam races to clear her clients before she becomes the next victim.