Includes bibliographical references.

When the body of eleven-year-old Thuy Sen is found in the San Francisco Bay, the police swiftly charge brothers Rennell and Payton Price with her grisly murder. A twelve-person jury, abetted by an incompetent lawyer for the defense, is quick to find the men guilty and to sentence them both to die for their crimes. Fifteen years later, Rennell is days from his execution, and overworked pro-bono lawyer Teresa Peralta Paget, her husband Chris, and stepson Carlo, a recent Harvard law grad, become convinced not only that Rennell didn't receive a fair trial, but that he may be innocent. Racing against the clock, and against insurmountable legal obstacles, Teresa, Chris, and Carlo desperately try and stop the execution, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court.