Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a humble small town lawyer, takes the case of accused murder Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara). Fredrick admits to murdering the man who beat and raped his wife Laura (Lee Remick). It's seems like a straightforward case until Fredrick's obsessive controlling behavior towards his wife is revealed. The prosecution claims the murder a crime of jealously. That when he discovered his wife in the arms of another man he exploded in a jealous rage. Worse, the case made newspaper head lines prompting the district attorney to prosecute the case personally. Now Paul Biegler must race against time to uncover the truth in a case where everyone is a victim yet no-one is innocent.