Brad Kubec, who was a first year law student went to work as a live-in gardener for the the Hartley family, one of the richest families in the state. Brad was shy, had a shuttering problem and was a little unstable. He finds himself falling in love with Carol Hartley.Carol was a spoiled housewife who seemed to have everything but was desperate for Brad's attention. She led him on and let Brad take her out on a date to the county fair while her husband was away on business. This only fed Brad's obsession with her. When she broke off the affair, something snapped in Brad and it was ""Murder In The First"".

A popular but improvident songwriter, after spending all of his royalties, agrees to marry an heiress, not because of her money, but because of her lack of money. You see, both plan to file a joint income tax return, thereby enjoying the bounty of the IRS' ""deductible"" system. This will keep them both solvent until they can recoup their fortunes.