After politician Peter (Chris Noth) was arrested and imprisoned for sex and political scandals, his wife Alicia (Julianna Margulies) had to end her life as a "housewife" and support the family alone. Alicia resumed her pre-marriage career - defense lawyer. As a junior partner of a well-known Chicago law firm, Alicia was welcomed by her old friend Will (Josh Charles). Will was her classmate in law school and the company's named partner. He wanted to see how this once powerful woman would perform in court thirteen years later. Alicia was also fortunate to receive strong support and guidance from the company's top litigation lawyer Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), which made her flattered and grateful. But she soon discovered that these "guidance" were conditional, and Diane was not as "enthusiastic" as she seemed. To succeed, Alicia can only rely on herself.