Hardcase's two aunts help out during a nursing home jewelry heist.

A critically-wounded criminal admits to being paid to frame a former baseball player, Duke McGuire, for murder. Feeling responsible for his false incarceration since he was the presiding judge, Hardcastle tries to help McGuire become a baseball player once again. But his attempt at a comeback is threatened when drugs are found in his locker.

On vacation, Hardcastle travels down to Canary Creek, California to participate in an annual fishing contest. To Hardcastle's surprise, Tina Cutter, the local sheriff's sixteen year old daughter, accuses him of rape. While transporting the judge to jail, Sheriff Dale Cutler tries to kill him. Thanks to Mark's timely arrival, the sheriff is forced to postpone his assassination. Realizing that the judge is in mortal danger, Mark, posing as a drunk, breaks his friend out of jail. Once free, Hardcastle begins to question why Tina framed him. Recalling an earlier meeting with the sheriff, Hardcastle, who has concluded that Tina's own father set up the false rape, realizes that he had mentioned a plane he came across while fishing. Returning to the fishing site, Hardcastle seeing the sheriff and some of the local residents dismantling the plane, ascertains that the sheriff had discovered a downed drug transport. Following the sheriff, Hardcastle and McCormick watch as the residents try to sell the drugs to a major dealer. With the help of a conveniently located forklift, Hardcastle and McCormick manage to capture the sheriff and the dealers. Later, once the sheriff's plans have been exposed, Hardcastle is cleared of the rape charges.

While judging the Miss Sixteen beauty contest, Hardcastle becomes wrapped up in the life of car salesman Ed Whitman, the pageants grand marshal. Worried when her boyfriend Victor Hernandez reveals that his uncle disappeared while sneaking across the Mexican-United States border, Melissa Whitman, Ed's sixteen year old daughter and one of the pageant's contestants, goes to Hardcastle for help. Although Victor's uncle does eventually turn up alive, Hardcastle decides to find out what happened. With Victor's reluctant help, Hardcastle discovers that a man was murdered during a transfer of illegal immigrants across the border. Thanks to Victor, Hardcastle also learns that a lawyer named Antonio Morales, who claims no knowledge of the murder, has been helping to arrange illegal immigrations. Before the judge can get more information from Victor's uncle, the illegal immigrant is murdered. With Morales' help, Hardcastle goes undercover as a perspective immigrant. The judge's plan works and the illegal immigration ring is stopped. At the same time, Hardcastle discovers that Ed Whitman is the mastermind behind the illegal operation. Returning to the United States, Hardcastle and McCormick help the police take Whitman into custody. As the episode ends, Melissa loses the pageant to a girl named Sara Jane Rose.

Not wanting to continue cleaning up the estate, Mark hires Millie Denton, his former prison cellmate's widow, as a maid. Meanwhile, Hardcastle begins looking into the suspicious death of a lawyer named Charlie Clarkson. Taking over Charlie's practice, Hardcastle interviews Loni Summers, a model that had previously hired Charlie to handle her divorce. Discovering the divorce is now off, Hardcastle checks into the background of actor Dex Falcon, Loni's husband. Investigating, the judge discovers that Falcon had secretly been receiving millions of dollars from an attorney named Wendell Price. In the meantime, Millie, who claims to be a psychic, has a vision of Mark's murder. Ignoring Millie's warning, Mark proceeds with the case. To Mark's regret, he is captured by Price, shot and left for dead. Thanks to Millie, Hardcastle locates Mark in time to save his life. Next, based on the evidence Mark had gathered, Hardcastle and the police, having already taken Falcon into custody, movie in and arrest Price. As the episode ends, Millie, shaken up by her visions, decides to quit and move in with her sister.

As the episode begins, wealthy businessman J.J. Norcross asks Hardcastle to run for mayor. Meanwhile, after city councilman Herb Austin goes head-to-head with Mann over a parks bill, a bomb explodes in the councilman's office and Austin is killed. Despite his campaign staffs assistance that he concentrate only on the election, the judge decides to look into Mann's murder. Deciding to help the judge, Mark sneaks into Mann's office and locates a map of possible park development sites. Checking out one of the marked locations, Hardcastle and McCormick discover an illegal toxic waste dump. Pursuing their investigation, Hardcastle and McCormick uncover proof that Mann had been bribed to change the site of the new park so as to cover up the illegal dumping. When Birdy Fletcher, the site's guard, asks to see him, Hardcastle realizes that he is probably being set up. As expected, Norcross, the mastermind behind the illegal operation tries to kill the judge. To Norcross' horror, a prepared Hardcastle and McCormick, turn the tables and close down the operation. In the process, Hardcastle discovers that Norcross only back his mayoral campaign so as to split the votes and give Mann the advantage. Later, although Hardcastle loses the election, he takes some comfort in the fact that Gilmore will most likely do a good job.