town of Serafina, Oklahoma, where racial tensions are mounting in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision declaring segregation in schools unconstitutional. When two White hoodlums sexually assault a Mexican girl and pin the blame on Woody Coats, a young Black man, they nearly get him lynched.

Bachelor rancher Harry True knows Woody didn't do it. So does his best friend's wife, Bliss Stone, the woman Harry would have married if war hadn't intervened. They know Woody is innocent because they saw him miles away the night of the crime at their secret trysting place. Harry and Bliss have a choice to make: come forward and exonerate Woody, an old family friend; or keep silent to conceal their affair.

Violence erupts in Black and White parts of town as Harry and Bliss wrestle with what to do. They both dread what speaking up will cost them - friendship, family, respect - but soon learn that silence can cost more.