Based on Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this autobiographical story is seen through the eyes of a young daughter of a widowed attorney by the name of Atticus (Gregory Peck) who decides, on principle, to defend a black man charged with raping a poor white woman. The bigoted townspeople would rather lynch the accused than try him and make life hellish for the lawyer and his attempts to raise a son and daughter. In the process, however, the bright, inquisitive children learn a hard and unforgettable lesson in justice, morality and prejudice.