Barry Sullivan plays a dying lawmaker who is offered a bribe, in the form of insurance for
his wife, by a corrupt lobbyist. Jeanette Nolan plays his wife, Susan. Sullivan, as Representative James Shepherd, promises to
join Slattery in lining up votes against a tax bill. But lobbyist Harry Colby, played by
Philip Abbott, offers Shepherd a $100,000 life insurance policy, in return for his vote for the measure. Shepherd is torn between concern for his family's financial security and his duty as a lawmaker. His friendship with Slattery hangs in the balance. Richard Crenna stars as State Representative Slattery, Colleen Peters and Leslie Farrell appear as Shepherd's daughters, Marilyn and Cora respectively, with Rory Stevens, as his son, Tommy.