Examines one pivotal moment during the period of communist witch-hunts in the US - the rounding up on July 20, 1948 the leadership of the Communist Party-USA. After a series of delays, eleven of the twelve ""top Reds"" went on trial in Manhattan's Foley Square in January 1949. This is a compelling look at how American society reacts to stress and, incongruously, clamps down in times of crisis on the very beliefs it holds dear: the freedoms of speech and political belief.