Set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system, Roman J. Israel Esq is a driven, idealistic defense attorney whose life is upended when his mentor, a civil rights icon, dies. When he is recruited to join a firm led by one of the legendary man’s former students — the ambitious lawyer George Pierce — and begins a friendship with a young champion of equal rights, a turbulent series of events ensue that will put the activism that has defined Roman’s career to the test.