Cassie Logan has been shielded by her family from the realities of being black in the Deep South during the 1930s. She does not believe that any white person can harm her. But when night riders begin to terrify and harm the black community with their racist attacks, she must learn to harden herself against social injustice. She learns to take pride in their land from her father, who knows only too well how hard-won their gains have been. The land is her family's heartblood, and her family can take strength from it against all outward degradations.