Rudd and Partner spend Saturday in Harry & Harry’s basement reviewing juror questionnaires with a consultant named Cliff. The defense has already cost Rudd nearly $70,000. After polling thousands of voters and researching all juror prospects, Cliff’s advice is to negotiate a plea and run.

Rudd discreetly meets with Moss Korgan at a swim meet. He relays Swanger’s claims about Jiliana’s addiction and abduction into a human trafficking ring. He proposes that in exchange for helping find Swanger and rescuing Jiliana, the mayor should pressure Mancini into offering Tadeo a five-year plea with penal farm time, and police should drop the landfill murder investigation. Rudd dangles a high-profile rescue press conference as incentive. Moss is skeptical and leaves without committing.

Rudd meets Nate Spurio and urges him to push the mayor and Mancini for a reduced plea. Nate grows excited, for saving Roy Kemp’s daughter would be worth any deal. However, Rudd cautions that it all depends on finding Swanger. When they part, Nate heads to Captain Truitt’s house, who Rudd expects will immediately loop in Kemp. The trial starts Monday. They must move quickly.

Late Sunday, Rudd and Partner visit Tadeo for a final pretrial meeting. Tadeo has convinced himself his viral fame will set him free. Rudd offers the 15-year plea again; Tadeo laughs and insists on testifying, certain he can apologize his way to acquittal. Rudd brings a suit for him to wear in court.

Unable to sleep before trial, Rudd sips coffee before dawn, questioning why he does this to himself. He compares his stress to that of a neurosurgeon cousin before reminding himself the surgeon works without an audience and earns $1 million a year. A trial lawyer, Rudd reflects, is an actor with no script—quick reactions, persuasion, performance. He plays pool, picks out his clothing, and paces through his opening statement.

The courtroom fills quickly. In chambers, Fabineau asks about a plea; Mancini repeats 15 years, and Tadeo still refuses. During the lunch recess, a bailiff serves Rudd with Judith’s emergency petition to terminate parental rights because he missed Sunday visitation. He heads to Domestic Relations and learns Judge Leef is assigned, the same judge who rejected her last three attempts.

Of the first juror prospects, roughly 22 are familiar with the case. Fabineau questions each privately throughout the afternoon; all know far more than they should, so Rudd renews his change-of-venue motion. Fabineau overrules it but suggests they proceed and see what happens.

After court, Rudd reviews Judith’s petition with Harry Gross, who will prepare a response. He and Partner then join Cliff’s team in the basement to review the potential jurors. Each side has four challenges plus unlimited strikes for cause. Since Rudd is not expecting acquittal, he wants a hung jury.

Rudd receives no overnight calls from Swanger, Spurio, or Moss. At sunrise Rudd emails Judith asking her to stop her quest to remove his parental rights. Over coffee at a smoky bagel shop, Spurio reports they are working on Mancini and that Kemp is desperate. Because jury selection is underway and his client is in trouble, Rudd pushes to move faster.

Fabineau arrives late without apology. Mancini’s arrogant opening monologue makes jurors frown within minutes. At the noon recess, Tadeo’s handler lets him stay in the courtroom. Over deli sandwiches, Tadeo quietly admits the jurors dislike him.

When Mancini finishes, Rudd addresses presumption of innocence and creates an open dialogue with the prospective jurors. Bobby Morris, a stonemason, says he wants to hear from the defendant; others follow. Fabineau then gives the lawyers 15 minutes to review their notes before selecting the jury.

After picking a jury (nine white, one Black, one Hispanic, one Vietnamese) , Partner drops Rudd at an Arby’s where he meets Spurio. The deal is done. Mayor Woody removed Mancini from the case and brought Fabineau into the loop. She will accept the five-year plea, sentence Tadeo to the penal farm, and recommend early release. The landfill investigation is going nowhere. Now Rudd must contact Swanger through the prepaid phone and offer $50,000.

At 1:40 am, Swanger calls. Rudd offers $25,000 now and $25,000 more when they find the girl. Swanger refuses—that is only a third of the reward and he claims he will not see the second payment. He demands $50,000 cash up front and insists on telling Rudd alone where the girl is. He threatens to have Jiliana killed if a cop comes near him. Rudd says he will pass it along.

Three hours later, a plainclothes cop hands Rudd $50,000 in a paper bag. Then, Rudd drives alone as Swanger directs him. At a stop sign, Swanger jumps in wearing all black, counts the money, and warns a button on his phone triggers consequences if he detects police. He explains the victims have been moved to Atlas Physical Therapy in the West Ivy shopping center in Vista View outside of Atlanta. The place is run by Eastern European and local traffickers who keep women drugged on heroin and rotate them between the clinic and strip clubs.

When they reach the Dr. Woo billboard, Swanger grabs the cash and disappears into a cornfield. Rudd stops to call police even though they heard everything through microphones. Driving back, Max Mancinie calls and Rudd learns that there is no court today. He and Partner have breakfast and wait anxiously for news from Atlanta. If the raid fails, Tadeo’s plea deal will likely evaporate.

Federal agents raid Atlas Physical Therapy in Atlanta, arresting three men and rescuing six victims including Jiliana Kemp. She calls her parents sobbing and explains everything including the fact that she does not know what happened to her baby. One arrested man cooperates with the FBI. By evening, Jiliana is flown home on a private jet.

Swanger slips through the police net into a cornfield. He clearly had an accomplice with a getaway car. Rudd suspects that he will see him again.

Rudd and Partner visit Tadeo to present the plea deal. Tadeo refuses, certain he will win at trial. He accuses Rudd of disloyalty. After an hour of arguing, Rudd storms out.

Thursday morning, Rudd reads about Jiliana’s rescue. Then, he texts Fabineau and Mancini that Tadeo has refused the plea deal. The trial goes on.

In chambers, Tadeo is put on the record officially refusing the five-year manslaughter plea. Both the judge and prosecutor tell him he is a fool, but he will not budge.

Mancini opens and calls the victim’s widow, whose testimony is emotional. The medical examiner follows, using autopsy photos and the attack video to establish that Sean King died from blunt-force trauma caused by 22 blows to the head. Rudd does not cross-examine either witness.

During a recess, Miguel tells Rudd they can bribe juror Esteban Suarez for $10,000. Rudd refuses and again after Miguel asks for a loan. Consequently, Miguel requests a new lawyer, but Rudd says it is too late.

At a donut shop, Spurio passes along thanks from a grateful Roy Kemp, whose family is helping Jiliana in rehab and may have a lead on her baby. Rudd is dismissive because he is still angry about Starcher’s kidnapping. Then, Spurio mentions a possible lead on Swanger in Wisconsin.

Friday morning, the State rests. Rudd opens for the defense, arguing Tadeo was mentally impaired after absorbing 37 blows. When he calls trainer Oscar Moreno, who testifies Tadeo was dazed and unresponsive, they show the video of the fight. Then, Psychiatric expert Dr. Taslman follows, explaining volitional insanity, which is the notion that Tadeo was so neurologically overwhelmed he could not stop himself.

Mancini cross-examines Taslman by playing the attack video in slow motion, counting each of the 22 blows and asking at every stage whether Tadeo was still legally insane. Taslman holds firm, arguing the greater number of blows only confirms more extreme loss of control.

After court, Miguel again presses Rudd for $10,000 for the bribe. When Rudd refuses, Miguel admits his gang killed Link’s thugs as a favor and warns Rudd he will be sorry if does not provide the money. Rudd denies involvement and refuses to help.

At a Thai restaurant, Rudd and Naomi spot Judith with a woman who is not Ava. When Judith approaches them and lies about being alone, it is tense. She threatens to report Naomi to her school for dating a parent. Rudd counters by threatening to tell Ava about the affair. Judith storms out.

Monday, Tadeo testifies against Rudd’s advice. He claims he blacked out after the referee raised his opponent’s arm. On cross-examination, Mancini ridicules the insanity defense and presents surprise evidence: a video from five years earlier showing Tadeo throwing a tantrum and shoving a referee after losing a match.

When the jury sees the video, Tadeo’s credibility is ruined. Because Rudd cannot repair the damage, the defense rests. Mancini calls rebuttal witness Dr. Wafer, a state mental health expert who spent six hours with Tadeo and proves more effective than Taslman. At the lunch break, Mancini repeats the plea offer of five years directly to Tadeo, who smiles and refuses, confident that Miguel has delivered the bribe to juror Suarez. Rudd doesn’t yet know this.

In chambers, Judge Fabineau signals she is leaning toward 20 years. Mancini skips his final rebuttal witness on Rudd’s advice. In closing, Mancini argues effectively that Tadeo delivered 22 blows to a defenseless man and could have stopped at any time. Rudd counters by emphasizing Tadeo’s spotless record outside the ring. Throughout, juror Suarez stares at his feet, withdrawn and unreachable.

Two hours later, the jury returns a unanimous decision of guilty of second-degree murder. As the Zapate family files into the hallway, three cops arrest Miguel for “obstruction of justice, bribery, and jury tampering” (343). Suarez was wearing a wire.

Rudd avoids reporters and retreats to a bar with Partner. He admits he considered bribing Suarez himself but held off because Mancini was honest during the proceedings. Later, checking his phone, he finds messages from the entire Zapate family, two reporters, Mancini, and Arch Swanger. At midnight he drives the van north and stays at a motel. Rudd is not sure he will return.