The staff of a Manhattan arraignment court is surprised by the arrival of a maverick young judge named Harry Stone; his first ruling, that a feuding couple should go to dinner with the attorneys, results in a fight breaking out that injures Dan.
Dan and Bull are at odds over the same woman; Harry throws his cap into the ring when he realizes the woman has a spare ticket for a Mel Torme concert.
Bright young public defender Christine Sullivan finds out she still has a lot to learn after her first day in Harry's court, while Harry ends up throwing her overprotective father in jail for insulting him.
On her first day, Public Defender Billie Young takes an aggressive stand in defense of her client against a powerful corporation, a stand that leads to her being jailed for contempt.
When an exclusive house of prostitution gets busted, Judge Harry Stone must decide whether to admit the madam's private diary as evidence in the case against her.
A blizzard traps the gang inside the courthouse without supplies, and an electrical failure traps Dan in an elevator with a gay man who finds him very attractive.