Dr. Lara Redmond, supervisor at Hope Community Clinic, cares deeply for the people in her life. When one of her supervisees, Andrea Parks, is severely beaten and left for dead, Lara takes it upon herself to find Andrea's attacker. Lara enlists the assistance of her friend, Anne Loral, a private investigator, to look into the background of a man she finds suspect. The police are looking hard at Justin Starling, Andrea's closest friend. He confesses that he and Andrea had an argument the day before her attack. Did his anger get out of hand, causing him to lash out at Andrea? Detective Smith of the Columbia Police Department seems to think so.
But Lara can't stop thinking about something Andrea disclosed in the privacy of her office at the clinic. A story told in confidence that leads Lara to place her own safety in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Andrea lays comatose in a hospital bed, unable to provide the authorities much needed information about her attacker.
"Mens Rea" is an emotional journey through the experiences of Lara Redmond and Andrea Parks, two women struggling to find a sense of truth and meaning in life, and in death.