In the tumult of World War Two, a young man and woman search for love and affirm timeless lessons of conscience and hope. Early in the war, Rachel's brother is killed while training as a Navy pilot. She is from the Northeast, well off, and Jewish. Bob, the fallen man's Navy roommate and best friend, escorts the body from Norfolk to New York. He is from Alabama, poor, and Methodist. At the gravesite service Rachel and Bob meet.
In the ensuing months, their prejudices stand in the way of their attraction for each other. Rachel is disinterested in Bob because he is from the South, while he is burdened by his own ingrained regional bias. The era's Jim Crow hypocrisies force them to painfully overcome their inherited beliefs, clearing the path for love.
