Althea Tibbs is raped by fellow teacher Stephen Ainslee after she comes home from grocery shopping. Althea says it was Stephen Ainslee that raped her even though she never saw his face but she recognized his voice. Detective Virgil Tibbs has problems coming to grips on how his wife could let something like this happen to her which infuriates Althea. Linda Ainslee, who is Stephen’s wife, tells the Sparta P.D. at the time of the rape, her husband Stephen was at home with her which further complicates the charge against him. Stephen ends up threatening and harassing Althea about keeping quiet. When Virgil finds out about this, it sends him over the edge in which a confrontation ensues between him and the teacher. Chief Gillespie works on trying to convince Linda Ainslee to come clean about her husband’s actions.