In his native North Carolina, Will battles America's baseball apartheid by accepting an invitation in 1943 to play on an all-white team. His high school sweetheart is Dena, whose mother disapproves of their romance. The Ku Klux Klan decides to teach Will a lesson in the status quo and attacks. Will escapes Klan pursuit and hides in the US Army where he keeps the 99th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen) safe on the ground.