In the year 1941, a nearly bankrupt NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) sends its only lawyer, thirty-two year old Thurgood Marshall (Boseman), to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur (Brown) against charges of rape and attempted murder brought by his wealthy socialite employer (Hudson). In need of a high profile victory, but muzzled by the trial court, Marshall is joined by Samuel Friedman (Gad), a young Jewish lawyer who has never before tried a criminal case.