Ken Malansky is a law student attending a class being taught by Perry Mason. When a friend tells him that his girlfriend was assaulted by a fellow student, Ken rushes to the university’s mock courtroom to confront him and finds him dead. The murder weapon was Ken’s own knife. Perry is reluctant to take on his case, especially since the victim was the son of a close friend.
Perry's secretary Della and private investigator/lawyer Ken go to visit an old friend, rancher and famous lawyer, "Wild" Bill McKenzie. Meanwhile, gubernatorial candidate Harlan Richards is murdered, and his daughter, Karen, thinks that Harlan’s rival, Governor Ryan Allison, has something to do with her father’s death.
Bill McKenzie's niece works as a production assistant for controversial television personality Josie Joplin, who publicly accuses her of having an affair with her husband. One night McKenzie's niece receives a message which she believes is from Josie to go to her hotel room. When she gets there someone knocks her out and when she wakes up, Josie is dead and she's the number one suspect.
Rich business man Mr Gordon has many enemies and a family that wouldn't miss him if he dropped dead. Someone hires a hitman to kill him and it is carried out in such a way to frame Gordon's secretary Della Street. When Della is accused of the murder, Perry mason resigns his position as judge to defend her and employs the son of his old colleague, Paul Drake, the act as private investigator on the case.