When a young man returns to his hometown to assist with a friend's trial it soon becomes clear that he isn't the beacon of success that everyone thought he was.

When John Goodnight was a boy he watched in the weeds as his entire family was killed in a ruthless outlaw attack. Now as a circuit judge of the western territories Goodnight travels the west protecting the innocent from injustice.

A tale told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place the child with an adoptive couple. She finds one in the PennySaver personals, contacts them, tells her dad and step-mother, and carries on with school. The chosen parents, upscale yuppies (one of whom is cool and laid back, the other meticulous and uptight), meet Juno, sign papers, and the year unfolds. Will Juno's plan work, can she improvise, and what about Bleeker?