When Vanessa Wellesley is charged with murdering her violent and controlling husband, everyone feels sympathy for her desperate attempt to escape from a deeply abusive relationship. But why does she refuse to admit that she wielded the weapon that killed him? Lawyers, police, and family urge her to plead self-defence, but Vanessa is adamant that she was not there when the fatal blow was struck. A date has been set for her trial – can her friends discover the real murderer's identity in time to save her from a life sentence?