Main characters:
· Andrew Beckett: A handsome, self-assured hotshot law graduate from Penn is on a fast track to partnership at his lawfirm. But he's hiding a dark secret from his self-satisfied employers: he's HIV-positive. When he gets fired while battling AIDS he decides to bring suit. He is warmhearted and cares much for his family who - especially his lover Miguel and his mother Sarah - are extraordinarily supportive during the case.
· Joe Miller: At first he's reluctant to help him in suing Wyant, Wheeler mostly because of his bias' against gay people. He'd rather sue the city on behalf of people who have gone out of their way to bruise their ankles on municipal property than break new legal ground by equating workers with AIDS and those with other disabilities. But while Beckett and Miller prepare their case, they form a surprisingly deep bond and he starts seeing him as a fellow human worth of affection, compassion and respect.
· Belinda Conine: She is the counsel of Wyant and Wheeler and a senior lawyer of the firm and a quite attractive woman who is often underestimated by opponent counsels. She has an excellent reputation and is said to be a ruthless strategist, often using her femininity as a weapon. She seems to be the perfect choice for this case, as Andrew thinks. She is not fond of the case as it obviously is a forced deception. In fact she even hates it, as she tells her team in one part of the book. She knows her clients are lying to her but she continues to do her job despite of the compassion she feels for Andrew Beckett. "You don't bring your personal life into a law firm", as Andrew says during the case
· Charles Wheeler: He is the senior of the firm carrying part of his name. He is reluctant towards gay people and thinks they are all deviants who should be expelled and put as far away from society as possible.
Short Summary:
The story involves Andrew Beckett, a skillful lawyer in the big Philadelphia law firm