This drama, based on a true story, is set in 1965, not long after the Civil Rights Act was passed. Despite the Act, African-Americans in Bogalusa are still treated as second-class citizens, with their basic human rights routinely violated by the white power structure in general and the local chapter of the KKK. The plot follows the formation of a group of local black men, particularly ex-war veterans, who, when the struggles become too much for them, form the "Deacons for Defense," an all-black defense group dedicated to patrolling the black section of town and protecting its residents from the more violent aspects of "white backlash."