The famous lawyer, Shigemori, is in charge of the defence of Misumi, accused of theft and murder. The latter has already served a prison sentence for murder 30 years previously. The chances of Shigemori winning this trial seem slight, even more so as Misumi has admitted his crime, despite the fact that he will get the death sentence if condemned. However, as the investigation and evidence progress, Shigemori begins to believe in the innocence of his client.

“First of all, I wanted to depict in detail the work of a lawyer. Then, as I talked about it with some of them, all were adamant that the court was not the place where the truth was established, that no one could know the truth. I found it interesting and said to myself that if that were the case, I would like to make a film about a legal drama in which the truth would not be revealed ... In this film, the legal proceedings alone draw to an end while the characters do not know the truth of what happened. It shows that our society subscribes to an imperfect system which persists in letting people judge others without knowing the truth.” Kore-eda Hirokazu