Stone set out to discover how a so-called free society, such as existed in Athens, could try and condemn to death its most renowned philosopher. He examines what Plato does not tell us - the Athenian side of the story - to see whether he can mitigate the city's crime and thereby remove some of the stigma the trial left on democracy and on Athens. Stone cannot defend the decision the Athenians made, but aims to unravel some of the mystery.