Barbara Lonergan is ferociously protective of her husband, Judge William Lonergan. After an accident leaves the judge mentally impaired, Barbara draws a small circle around him to protect his health, his career, and his reputation. The circle consists only of Barbara, who doubles as the judge’s secretary, and the judge’s law clerk.  Months pass under this exhausting routine, but as August deepens into heat and humidity, Barbara finds her small circle under siege from a persistent private detective investigating a murder and a demented litigant who has filed a grievance  against the judge.  Meanwhile, court officer Foxx, pursuing a deathbed promise to a childhood friend, pokes at the edges of Barbara Lonergan’s protective circle. As the private detective reveals troubling information and the judicial grievance heads toward resolution, Barbara removes her husband to the safety of their summer home. She does not realize that she has placed both of them in greater danger.