It is the autumn of 330 BC, and three law cases are exciting Athens: the malicious wounding of a wealthy citizen; a bizarre murder by hemlock; and an accusation of impiety against the courtesan Phryne. The court proceedings and surrounding speculation stir up strong feelings: disgust for depraved sensuality and deep political passions amongst the city’s populace. A crucial lack of judgement eventually brings affairs to a boiling point.

Aristotle, recollecting the death of Socrates and strongly aware of the city’s tensions and of the fragile nature of political constitutions, intervenes, lest the forthcoming trials break Athens into fragments.