A mysterious stranger shows up in Evansville, Indiana, where he kidnaps a young woman as she leaves work then surprisingly drives her straight home and drops her off unharmed. Arrested, his outrageous assertion is his motive was to save the woman from a worse fate.

A local attorney is assigned as the man's public defender.

The prisoner is reluctant to cooperate with his counsel but slowly divulges his shocking claim as to his true identity, paving the way for his lawyer to recommend a plea of insanity. However, the attorney's wife, who is his law office paralegal, is helping with the case. She slowly begins to believe the prisoner, forcing a schism between her and her husband as the trial nears. Defending the prisoner will not only put the attorney and his wife to a test of faith, but endanger them, as well.