When Chet Monroe is offered a job as a law professor at a university near his hometown of Mission Springs, Mississippi, he jumps at the chance to get away from the bustle of New York City and start a new life. The small town is happy to welcome home a successful native son. Chet doesn't come home alone, however. He brings with him his longtime lover, Drew Weatherly, who takes a job at the local bank. The men know that the town may not be accustomed to an openly gay couple, but their plan is to slowly gain acceptance, easing the neighborhood into an understanding of their relationship. Everything seems to be going well until the local Baptist minister, Brother Gene, begins to suspect that the two men are more than just friends, and he's squarely against allowing them to work their way into the community on their own terms. As tensions begin to rise, Chet is accused of the unthinkable: raping a local boy he befriended. Now, winning over the community is no longer a choice but a necessity if he's to keep his freedom in Without One Plea.