Gregory Peck stars as Atticus Finch, a Southern lawyer. The setting is a dusty Southern town during the Depression. A white woman accuses a black man of rape. Though he is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him--except Peck, the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassion defense costs him many friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his two motherless children.