 Rumpole travels out of London to defend Kathy Trelawny on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs, specifically, marijuana that she supposedly sold to an undercover police officer. Rumpole s defense is based on entrapment, but some of Kathy s friends want her to be a martyr to the cause. Unfortunately, her admission of guilt to Rumpole puts him in a precarious situation. Rumpole stays with old friends, the Doghertys, who own a small hotel, The Crooked Billet. Sam Dogherty has a problem with drink and his wife Bobby has been advised by their physician to get him as far away from running a bar as possible.