As one of the few members of his class without a job lined up, a desperate Rudy is introduced to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone, a ruthless but successful ambulance chaser, who makes him an associate.

To earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at the local hospital and sign them up to personal injury lawsuits.

The other is a poor family, Dot and Buddy Black, whose insurance bad faith case could be worth several million dollars in damages.

With Stone's firm about to be raided by the police and the FBI, Rudy and Deck set up their own practice and file suit on behalf of the Blacks, whose leukemia-stricken son, Donny Ray, could have been saved by a bone marrow transplant for which his identical twin brother is a perfect match.

While preparing the case in the local hospital, he meets and later falls in love with Kelly Riker, a young battered wife recovering from injuries inflicted by her husband Cliff.

The trial ends with the jury awarding the plaintiff's the unprecedented sum of $50.2 million - a sensational verdict making the headlines and catapulting Rudy, a young and hitherto unknown lawyer into the limelight.

Ultimately, there is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy, although Dot was never concerned with the settlement money, because for her helping to put the company out of business is an even greater victory.

The Los Angeles Times called the book "an indictment of the legal system from law school to the jury’s verdict.

"[2] Entertainment Weekly wrote that "if The Rainmaker’s outcome is a bit predictable, Grisham’s vivid minor characters and near-Dickensian zeal for mocking pomposity and privilege are apt to endear him to his many readers all over again.

"[3] Publishers Weekly wrote that "this bittersweet tale, the author's quietest and most thoughtful, shows that Grisham's imagination can hold its own in a courtroom as well as on the violent streets outside.