Big Rock at Candy's Mountain

Ruth Ballard is an embittered radical, now in jail, accused of participating in a bank robbery and a subsequent killing, and she chooses to represent herself as attorney

Kenneth Hayes is the assistant district attorney assigned to prosecute her. They were classmates in law school

She says she is innocent; he warns her that the moment she admits she is a radical she will be convicted by a jury, and that the only way she can avoid a life sentence is to plea bargain

In return for telling Kenneth who the other bandits were, and testifying against them, Ruth would get a lighter sentence

She insists she had no part in the crime, and thus has nothing to tell him. Their conflicts, legal, personal and political create a fascinating and compelling drama