On his three-mile walk to church with his large family every Sunday, fifteen-year-old J.D. Banks has plenty of time to ponder about life at a time when blacks have no civil rights in eastern Mississippi. Church is the center of everything, and J.D. strives to live by the moral rules of the Bible. At times, J.D. finds that following the teachings of his preacher and his God are not an easy task. As J.D. comes of age in this rural community, he faces decisions about drinking and women and his place in life. He sees death, and he sees discrimination. He wonders what it would take to make a good life in this county in Mississippi. He wonders how he will overcome his paralyzing fears in his daily encounters with the Jim Crow system in his hometown. J.D. thoroughly understands the danger of getting white people riled up.
Providing a social commentary on the times, Beyond Fear depicts the struggles of the poor, black people in the south as they attempt to survive both poverty and discrimination.