A black major (Steve James) and his men are on the run from a rigged court martial and hide out in a small Georgia town where a cruel white sheriff is terrorizing the black population. Together with one strong-willed woman they formulate a bold plan to fight for freedom and human rights.

A juvenile court services director strives to fight the odds following his promise to a resourceful 11-year-old to keep her and her four younger brothers and sisters together as a family after their parents abandoned them, despite a bureaucrat's insistence that it is impossible to locate a single foster home for all five.