A young teacher from England achieves a dream when he gets the chance to work for a year in the United States, but 1950s Mississippi is not the America he has seen on the movie screens at home. His adventure turns into a living nightmare when his independent spirit collides with the rules of life in the Deep South. Crossing the racial divide, Arthur Belsay sets off a chain of events he can't control. He flees to New York and makes a life for himself in what seems like a different country, but the past catches up with him. Ultimately Arthur faces a character-defining challenge: can he find the courage to save a woman who can't return his love, though he risks almost certain death in the attempt?