Ruth Jackson is an African American woman, with high intelligence. She grew up in a poorer area of New York City, but is able to escape the failing school system because of her intelligence. As she grows up in the city, she increasingly discovers that many higher positions are dominated by white people.
After growing up watching her mother give a birth to a baby in her neighborhood, she becomes a delivery nurse at a hospital. There, she is the only African American delivery nurse. Ruth is the only nurse still working when Brittany and Turk come in, to deliver their baby. They make it clear that they do not want an African American to even touch they baby, but she is the only one qualified to do so.
Davis, the baby, is in the back room for a circumcision. The nurse instructed to perform it is called away for an emergency, leaving Ruth in the room alone with the child. Suddenly, Davis stops breathing, but remembers that she is not supposed to touch their baby. She ignores this, and tries to pump oxygen back into him. This fails, and the baby dies.
Turk and Brittany charge Ruth with the murder of their baby. Although this has no basis, and Ruth did not commit any crimes (in fact, she was the one trying to save the baby), she did not have an alibi.
Ruth meets Kennedy to defend her at the court trial. Kennedy is white, but honest and knows that Ruth is not guilty. After a long, convincing speech, the judge agrees that Ruth is not guilty. After the verdict, Brittany commits suicide. Her husband, however, decides that racial bias is wrong, and starts protesting racism despite his earlier views.
