Kavanagh heads to his hometown of Bolton to defend a man who, together with his partner, is accused of murdering their 14-month-old daughter. Kavanagh's tactics have to change however when it becomes clear that the young couple are telling quite different stories.

Kavanagh defends a woman accused of killing her husband. Although she admits to killing him for repeatedly beating her, Kavanagh urges her not to admit it in court. Meanwhile,a colleague of Kavanagh's asks him to represent him before the Conduct Committee when he's accused of looking at the wrong brief.

When a trawler sinks off the coast of North Yorkshire, taking the lives of five people, an enquiry establishes that the boat was in disrepair. Kavanagh is on the team prosecuting the boat owner and father of one of the victims, charged with five counts of manslaughter. He must counter the owner's defence that a Royal Navy submarine surfaced near the trawler and capsized her.

Kavanagh defends a doctor accused of murdering his wife. Although the prosecution has several witnesses who provide evidence, the accused maintains his innocence. After the verdict, however, Kavanagh learns of an ironic twist.

Kavanagh represents a Jehovah's Witness mother when a hospital wants her 13-year-old son to have a blood transfusion that will save his life. When the mother refuses, Luke is made a ward of court and the hospital seeks judicial permission to go ahead with the transfusion. The hospital wins its action, and Luke is given a transfusion.

Kavanagh is asked to defend a Reverend accused of sexual harassment by a recently widowed parishioner. When Kavanagh begins to make inquiries regarding the death of the victim's husband, she mysteriously withdraws her complaint against the Reverend and the case collapses. Later Kavanagh discovers that she has become engaged to the vicar and finds himself defending her against charges that she murdered her husband.