Kasahara Takuya is a top-notch lawyer working for the law firm Tokyo Assize. He managed to successfully defend Arimura Hiroto from the charges of serial rape and murder. The surprise non-guilty ruling angered the mass media and the family members of the victims, but Takuya just brushed them off with a comment, "The law had decided the case. If you want to blame someone, then blame the law". Kusunose Masashi was the public defender originally assigned to Arimoto's case, but he had dropped the case as he wasn't convinced that Arimoto was not guilty, although Arimoto had claimed to have no recollection of committing the crime.
Some time soon after, Takuya is assigned to the Aoba Confectionery case. Aoba Confectionery is being sued by the sister of a man who had died from an allergic reaction to a particular snack produced by Aoba Confectionery. Aoba Confectionery is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Nikkyo Holdings, a huge conglomerate spearheaded by Haneda Kenzo. With such a high-profile case, Takuya tries all means and methods to corner the plaintiff in order to win the case. All of a sudden, a man from his past appears before him. Takuya has a secret that he had told no one, but Matsumoto Shogo knows of the secret, and is trying to blackmail him for a large sum of money. Coincidentally, Shogo is also a childhood friend of Yasuko, the plaintiff, as they were both brought up in the same orphanage...
東京アサイズ律師事務所的律師笠原卓也(伊藤英明)為由於連續搶劫殺人罪而被判死刑的有村弘人(柄本時生)辯護取得了逆轉性的無罪判決。由於笠原為具有明顯殺意而犯下罪行的有村爭取到無罪判決,受害者家屬和媒體滿懷憤怒。對此,笠原卻冷淡地回應說“這是根據法律做出的判決,要責怪的話就責怪法律吧。”另一方面,由於無法原諒不認為自己有罪的有村而中途放棄為有村辯護的平民派律師楠之瀬正志(滝藤賢一)對此抱有複雜的想法。
此時,羽根田健三(仲代達矢)率領的超大企業日京ホールディングス所屬的青葉制果(糖果公司)發生了過敏死亡事故。擔任此案辯護的笠原,用盡各種手段將原告方逼到絕境。與此同時,知道笠原過去的弱點的松本省吾(渋川清彥)正在被追討債務。笠原和省吾及其身為醫生的妹妹康子(木村佳乃)是一起在孤兒院長大的青梅竹馬。繼續飛躍發展的笠原具有未告訴任何人的過去。