Matlock reluctantly takes the case when Melinda Stuart's source is murdered. The biggest problem is that she's more interested in listening to what FBI Agent Paul Davies has to say than she is in listening to him.

After Agent Davies offers Melinda an exclusive, she changes her plea to guilty. Matlock tries to talk to her, especially after it's revealed that the person Melinda was talking to was an imposter.

Julie heads to Baltimore to defend a man accused of killing the newspaper editor who dragged his name through the mud. Matlock comes to town to help her because Conrad is busy on another case, and helps Julie out when the prosecutor, who just happens to be her ex-husband, does whatever he can to trip Julie up.

Matlock goes back to his hometown for a family reunion, but things turn sticky when a good friend of his nephew's son dies, and his rival is charged with murder. Not only that, but the whole town seems to hate Matlock, as many of them believe he thinks he's better than them because he's a big city lawyer.

After a second young man dies under mysterious circumstances, Matlock continues to do his best to defend Russ Gifford, and tries to keep his animosity with the town at a minimum while Julie makes friends with the local women, and Conrad investigates the tattoo that ties the whole case together.