The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is one of the largest police forces in the world, but when the elected sheriff dies, an arcane rule in the county charter, forged back in the Wild West, suddenly thrusts the most unlikely man into the job. Bill Hollister is a fifth-generation lawman who is only interested in justice. The bad guys don't stand a chance but neither do the politicos in the Hall of Justice. The dangers associated with the job often lead the police to LA County General Hospital, where Bill butts heads with the hospital's chief trauma surgeon -- who is also his wife. Given a job he never wanted, in an unfamiliar sea of politics, Bill quickly learns that doing what is expected and doing what is right are two different things, and that his innate, dogged pursuit of justice is the only skill the job truly requires.