Fontana and Green investigate when the body of a young mother who had recently cleaned her life up is found in her apartment, with her five-day-old infant son Nicholas missing. Detectives soon track down Arlene Tarrington and ascertain that the infant she is claiming is hers is really baby Nicholas, but after her lawyers make a claim of post-partum psychosis and another man comes forward claiming to be the child's father, McCoy and Borgia are forced to decide which of the two they would rather lock up for the crime.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 16 Episode 7 of Law & Order resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Law & Order Season 16 Episodes...

• s16e01 - Red Ball
• s16e02 - Flaw
• s16e03 - Ghosts
• s16e04 - Age of Innocence
• s16e05 - Life Line
• s16e06 - Birthright
• s16e07 - House of Cards
• s16e08 - New York Minute
• s16e09 - Criminal Law
• s16e10 - Acid
• s16e11 - Bible Story
• s16e12 - Family Friend
• s16e13 - Heart of Darkness
• s16e14 - Magnet
• s16e15 - Choice of Evils
• s16e16 - Cost of Capital
• s16e17 - America, Inc.
• s16e18 - Thinking Makes It So
• s16e19 - Positive
• s16e20 - Kingmaker
• s16e21 - Hindsight
• s16e22 - Invaders

Law & Order Show Summary

This realistic yet fictional drama looks at crime and justice from a dual perspective. In the first half-hour, Detectives Joe Fontana and Edward Green investigate crimes and apprehend suspects under the supervision of their precinct lieutenant, Anita Van Buren. The focus shifts in the second half-hour to the criminal courts as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy and Assistant District Attorney Borgia work within a complicated justice system to prosecute the accused under the guidance of District Attorney Arthur Branch.

Some cases may be simple, but most are multi-faceted. The investigations are challenging, prosecutions are complicated, and decisions about legal procedures and plea-bargaining are vexing. In the arduous and complex process of determining guilt and innocence, lives often hang in the balance.