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An inexperienced Navy lawyer, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, son of Lionel Kaffee who held the positions of Attorney General and Navy Judge Advocate General, leads the defense in the court-martial of two Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine, Pvt. Santiago. Kaffee attempts to portray the accused as men following orders — a defense he acknowledges was inappropriate for the Nazis at the Nuremburg Trials and for William Calley after the My Lai Massacre, but that he feels applies to his two young low-ranking charges. The defense tries to establish that the defendants were acting under the direct orders of their commanding officer, Col. Jessep, a powerful Marine officer being considered for the position of Director of Operations for the National Security Council. Kaffee suspects that he was specifically chosen to defend the Marines due to his history of quickly settling cases, which would remove the cloud of suspicion that could potentially mar the Colonel's chances of advancement. Over the course of the story, Kaffee progresses from a novice lawyer to an experienced Navy attorney. On the level of moral philosophy, the drama examines questions of duty, honor, patriotism, justice, and the rule of law.
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