At one time Judge Atlee was a powerful figure in Clanton, Mississippi-- a pillar of the community who towered over local law and politics for forty years. Now the judge is a sick, lonely old man who has withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home. Knowing the end is near, Judge Atlee issues a summons for his two sons, Ray and Forrest, to return to Clanton to discuss his estate. When Ray arrives he finds his father lying dead beside his will, and three million dollars hidden in an armoire-- money that threatens to tarnish the judge's shining reputation. Furthermore, Ray begins to suspect that he is not the only keeper of his father's secret.Ray Atlee, profesor de Derecho, tiene una relacio n muy distante con su padre, el Juez Atlee, una figura emblema tica en Clanton, Misisipi, por liderar durante cuarenta an os la vida legal y poli tica del condado. Viejo y enfermo, recluido en su decadente mansio n, el Juez presiente que su final se acerca y convoca a sus hijos. Ray acude a la llamada, pero al llegar se encuentra a su padre muerto junto a un conciso testamento y tres millones de do lares en meta lico escondidos en un armario, dinero que cuestiona la intachable trayectoria profesional del ex magistrado. Y Ray sospecha que alguien ma s conoce su secreto.