Oscar-winning actor Henry Fonda stars in this Emmy-nominated Hallmark Hall of Fame drama based on Anthony Lewis's book by the same name, the true story of one man's fight for the right to legal counsel and its impact on the American legal system. When the court denies him an attorney, Clarence Earl Gideon -- accused of petty theft -- reluctantly defends himself and loses, later mounting an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court from his prison cell.