Socrates wakes in his prison cell to find his old friend Crito waiting with a plan for his escape and exile. The philosopher refuses to break the law, engaging in a personified dialogue with the "Laws of Athens" to explain his loyalty to the state. He argues that having benefited from the city's protection his whole life, he cannot now destroy its authority by fleeing the verdict. It is a rigorous examination of the social contract and the duty of the citizen.