Thirty years after the murder of a civil rights leader, a Louisiana man, Aaron Crown, is convicted of the crime. Crown asserts his innocence and asks Dave Robicheaux, sheriff's deputy of New Iberia, to find the real killer. Robicheaux's involvement throws him in the midst of the media circus gathered to cash in on the long overdue decision. In addition to the attention of the big city film crews, the case draws the attention of Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Buford LaRose, who claims that the book he wrote helped convict Crown; it becomes clearer that LaRose and his shady backers want to ride the press coverage straight to the governor's mansion.