1957 - Brenda Stern, the beautiful blonde daughter of the local Allentown, PA sheriff, goes missing. Her body is never found, and her boyfriend, a young impressionable boy named Harold Bender, is accused of her murder. He is tried on circumstantial evidence and convicted. The judge then sentences Harold to life in prison.Today - No one had noticed the pattern of missing female prostitutes until a body was found in the wreckage of a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The driver, identified as Gary Bronson, also died, and his name evokes memories of a case that has haunted Jonah Gordon for over fifty years. Jonah had been a public defender when Harold Bender was accused of the murder of Brenda Stern. Her father, Barney Stern, believed Harold killed his daughter, though a body was never found. Stern's thirst for vengeance sent Harold to prison, and Jonah has always blamed himself for Harold's incarceration. It was his first major case, and the more experienced prosecuting attorney was able to persuade the jury of Harold's guilt. Hearing Gary Bronson's name reminds him that at the time, Jonah believed Gary had something to do with Brenda's disappearance.When Jonah's grandson, Corey, is arrested on a drug charge, the boy, as part of his sentence, must visit an inmate in prison. Jonah suggests Harold Bender, who has been in jail for over fifty years. When Corey meets Harold, he, too, is convinced that Harold is innocent, and the two decide to find out what happened to Brenda and, in the process, set Harold free. Their investigation leads them to Ben Osbourne, a trooper with the PA Highway Patrol. Ben is intrigued when he hears Harold's story, but it isn't until he starts to see a pattern involving missing blonde prostitutes that he joins Jonah and Corey on their quest to find out what happened to Brenda Stern.