Judge Deed presides over a case of three street gang members who are charged with murdering a rival drug dealer who was starting to sell drugs on their turf. The accused have no respect for the court system, interrupt regularly and refuse to abide by the judge's instructions. When a key witness is killed and members of the jury are threatened, Deed is faced with a dilemma. The government is pushing the concept of trial by judge alone as a means of reducing the cost of the judicial system. All judges, including Deed, are strongly opposed as they see trial by jury as the cornerstone of the British justice system. As such, Deed very much wants to continue the trial with a jury. Jo Mills continues to struggle with the child welfare authorities in her attempts to adopt a former client's now orphaned son, Michael. She gets support from an unexpected quarter.