At the end of the court day, four Alabama National Guard soldiers meet Mary outside her chambers, informing her that the governor has ordered them to escort her safely out of the city. Mary objects, but the lead guard explains that electronic surveillance has detected verbal threats to her safety. The guards escort her through the courthouse past reporters and onlookers, one of whom shouts that Mary is “guilty.” She feels as though she’s experiencing “a perp walk” (354). At the city limits, the Guard vehicles pull over and block the road behind her, ensuring that no one follows as she drives home alone.

Mary reflects that her own troubles seem minor compared to what Bria and Nova have endured. At her farm, she tends to her livestock and checks on her pregnant mare, Tornado. She notices a thin line stretched low across the ground and a large red letter “K” painted on her front door. Before she can react, her rooster, Foghorn, triggers a trip wire, causing a massive explosion that throws Mary backward and knocks her unconscious. When she regains consciousness, her family’s century-old farmhouse is engulfed in flames. She crawls away from the heat and calls 911. The fire department arrives, but the historic home cannot be saved.

Mary’s sisters, Jordan and Nellie, visit her in the hospital. Jordan attempts to find positives in the situation, noting that Mary survived and that the barn and Tornado are safe. Mary refuses pain medication to keep her mind clear. Sheriff Owens arrives and identifies the suspect whom Nova pointed to in court as Elgin Frane, a 17-year-old with a criminal record who hasn’t yet identified his accomplice. Mary urges Owens not to let the case slide. After he leaves, Mary begins sobbing uncontrollably. She’s tired of being strong, and Nellie comforts her as their mother once did.

The following morning, after being released from the hospital and spending the night at Nellie’s house, Mary sits in her chambers. Lindquist arrives, expresses sympathy, and then argues that the burden on Mary is too great for her to continue presiding over the case. She urges Mary to disqualify herself from the trial. Mary reminds Lindquist that their conversation constitutes an “improper” communication between counsel and judge. Lindquist says that she hates to proceed but has something she must do.

Lindquist reveals that she was sent by AG Dick Winston. She shows Mary a copy of a medical record from an abortion clinic that Mary visited in her twenties. Lindquist argues that it proves Mary cannot be impartial and must recuse herself. She offers to keep the abortion secret if Mary steps down. Mary reveals that as a former defense attorney in Montgomery, she learned of Winston’s pattern of sexually harassing female employees and has a tape recording of him admitting to misconduct. Observing Lindquist’s reaction, Mary realizes that Winston has also harassed her. She sends a message back to Winston: Her long-ago abortion was legal under the law at the time, but the recording she possesses will get him disbarred. Lindquist grabs the document and leaves without speaking.

Mary presides over the trial while in extreme pain from a fractured coccyx sustained in the explosion. The defense calls Dr. Steinfeld, an obstetrician from Virginia, who testifies about the severe physical and mental-health risks that pregnancy poses for very young adolescents. On cross-examination, DA Reeves counters that abortion involves a “100 percent” risk to life because it terminates the life of the baby. Dr. Steinfeld rejects this characterization. Reeves then reveals that Steinfeld has worked for Planned Parenthood, causing a juror to gasp audibly. An activist in the gallery raises a sign supporting Bria, prompting a fight. After restoring order, Mary accidentally sits down too hard, sending a bolt of pain through her.

Following testimony from several character witnesses, Bria takes the stand. She explains that she opened her practice in Union Springs to serve an area with a serious shortage of health providers. She admits performing the abortion at Nova’s request, explaining that Cocheta Bass brought the girl to her office. Bria states that she sincerely believed the pregnancy posed a severe health risk to Nova, the sole exception permitted under Alabama law. On cross-examination, Lindquist repeatedly demands yes-or-no answers, preventing Bria from fully explaining her assessment. Lindquist then argues that, as a mandated reporter, Bria failed to protect Nova by not informing the police. Bria responds that calling the police would have forced Nova to carry the pregnancy to term. Lindquist concludes by accusing Bria of doing nothing to prevent Nova from being raped again. Mary notices that two jurors exchange a look, and one crosses her arms.

At dusk, Mary arrives at her farm to find Nellie and a newly delivered mobile home that will serve as her temporary residence. Nellie informs her that Tornado is giving birth. In the barn, they find the mare in active labor. Mary calls the veterinarian, who is out of town and provides instructions over the phone. Due to her injury, Mary can’t physically assist, so Nellie reaches into the birth canal to help position the foal. After the foal’s head emerges, the labor stalls. Mary realizes that she must clear the airway and, with Nellie’s help, blows into the foal’s nostril, allowing it to breathe. The colt is born successfully. They watch as Tornado bonds with her newborn, who soon stands and begins nursing. Mary reflects that they’ll need a similar “miracle” in the courtroom.

During closing arguments, DA Reeves summarizes the evidence. Defense Attorney Meyers then argues that the State’s own medical expert corroborated the defense’s claim about the severe health risks that the pregnancy posed to Nova. He criticizes law enforcement for pursuing Bria while failing to investigate the gang rape. In his rebuttal, Reeves argues that the case is straightforward: Bria performed an illegal abortion, and the circumstances of the pregnancy are irrelevant under Alabama law. He asks the jury to return a guilty verdict and recommend the maximum sentence of 99 years to life in prison.

The jury deliberates for two full days before sending word that they’re deadlocked. Both sides agree to Mary giving the Allen instruction, which encourages a hung jury to continue deliberating. An hour later, the jury announces a verdict: Bria is guilty, with a recommended sentence of 10 years, the minimum penalty. Mary realizes that the jury compromised, with some members voting guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. The courtroom erupts. Reeves demands that Bria’s bond be revoked. Mary slams her gavel and orders the prosecution to sit down.

Shocked by the guilty verdict, Mary silences the courtroom. She observes Bria looking shattered and is struck with inspiration. She invokes the Alabama Rule of Criminal Procedure 20.3, which allows a judge to set aside a jury’s guilty verdict and enter a judgment of acquittal on the court’s own motion. Mary throws out the verdict and finds the defendant not guilty, explaining that after a jury returns a guilty verdict, the judge has the power to do what she believes is right—and this final judgment cannot be appealed or overturned. She declares that Bria is free to go. Journalists rush from the courtroom as the gallery erupts in mixed reactions. Despite feeling profound satisfaction, Mary believes that the decision has ended her judicial career.

On a Saturday afternoon after Halloween, Mary sits in her trailer watching negative political advertisements attacking her for overturning the jury verdict. After a tentative knock, she opens her door to find Nova holding a pot of purple pansies she repotted from Mary’s struggling plants. Nova expresses sadness that Bria is moving to Chicago, Illinois. She adds that her social worker, Betty Cooper, says that the rape wasn’t her fault. Mary vehemently agrees.

Mary reflects that Nova’s attackers are in juvenile detention and that one had ties to white supremacists, information that Sheriff Owens turned over to federal authorities. As Nova is about to leave, she runs back and tightly hugs Mary.

On a Monday morning, Mary presides over the arraignment of Mason Phelps for the murder of Cocheta Bass. When Phelps’s public defender announces that he’ll file a motion for recusal, Mary preempts him. She recuses herself, stating that because she knew the victim and visited the crime scene, she cannot be objective. When Phelps smirks, Mary asks directly whether he was responsible for the explosion at her property. She tells Phelps that he doesn’t need to answer because they both know the truth. Mary leaves the courtroom, removes her robe, and decides to take the rest of the day off to care for her farm.

On the night of the election, Mary sits in her trailer, having accepted that she will lose. Her phone and television are turned off to avoid sympathy calls and the vote count. She sorts through old case files, trying to determine which ones to complete before her term ends in January. Nellie and Jordan arrive and pound urgently on her door. Mary’s immediate thought is that another disaster has occurred.

Nellie and Jordan tell Mary that she’s leading in the election and that she must come to the watch party at the community center. Still wearing her overalls, Mary arrives at the party, where she’s greeted by cheers. By 10 o’clock, her lead is 63%. Bria and Attorney Meyers appear to congratulate her. Bria thanks Mary for the risk she took, remarking that it wasn’t luck—Black people always have to work twice as hard to achieve anything.

After Mary’s opponent concedes, she takes the stage and delivers an acceptance speech, thinking of her mother and ancestors. She swears to ensure that justice is served in her courtroom. Noticing a few frowning faces in the crowd, she accepts this as a reminder that a judge who tries to please everyone cannot deliver justice. Thinking about her deep roots in the Black Belt town, she reflects that she needs its community as much as they need her.