Ordinary lovers, Dena Miller and Will Wallace, confront extraordinary obstacles in their romance. Classism in their native North Carolina threatens to end their nascent romance as it began. Then, larger and more ominous life-threatening challenges of white supremacy and World War II wreak havoc on the dreams of the young couple, forcing them apart.

Dena’s mother, a teacher, and married to a local pastor, disapproves of their romance, and declares Will, a mere baseball player and lumberjack, to be beneath their social status. Matters become fraught when Dena’s mother selects a “class-suitable” suiter for her.

Will Wallace, Jr. is a 1943 baseball star. It is said that his skills surpass his father’s legendary baseball feats. Soon, Will joined the fight against America’s apartheid in baseball. But the Ku Klux Klan teaches Will a lesson in the status quo. A friend of Will’s father and former Atlanta Crackers baseball player devises for Will a clever escape from Klan pursuit and hides him in the U.S. Army.

Will’s 366th Infantry Regiment’s first mission in Italy is keeping the pilots and planes of the 99th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen) safe while on the ground. When Will fulfills his wish to fight against the Germans, he finds himself in intense combat that leaves him with flagging hope he will live to see Dena again.

Bob Rogers