An account of the trial of Clara Ford, a Black tailor and single mother, for the murder of Frank Westwood in October 1894, with a focus on societal attitudes towards gender and race at the time, as well as the politics of media power in the growing city of Toronto.

Overture: cakewalk -- Act one: the Parkdale mystery. The murderee -- There's a girl in it -- Amateur detectives -- The bad hat -- Act two: Clara's turn. From whence she came -- Go west, young man -- Bad fences -- Eight hours -- Monster -- Act three: a great trial-and its aftermath. The forces of the law -- Witness for the prosecution -- The performance of her life -- Twelve hungry men -- What Clara did next -- Finale: Clara, armed.