John Thompson strangles Eleanor DiCarlo, the unbearably manipulative, overbearing mother of his lover Traci, in her bedroom. Trough his and other persons’ testimony to lawyers, police and in court and elaborate flashbacks, we and next he come to understand Traci set him up no less wickedly and sacrifices him without a hesitation. John is condemned to 34 years for the murder. A year later, his sentence is halved in exchange as crown witness in her trial, where lawyer Jake Meletti does a brilliant job overemphasizing Eleanor’s wickedness.