Overview

Gary Durant is not an underprivileged, slum born urchin but the son of well to do parents. Somehow he went wrong and, at 17, he was indicted for a brutal crime that resulted in the injuring of one girl and the crippling of another. Sylvia Frazier, an enlightened judge in Juvenile Court, is conducting the informal hearing that will determine Gary's punishment. Lawyers are not permitted and the principals are encouraged to speak their minds. Judge Frazier probes beneath superficial appearances and, in a climax that is both surprising and startlingly real, she is able to place the blame where it truly belongs.