This somber and symbolic black-and-white drama opens with Pat Corelli (Ben Vittoria) reflecting back on his New Jersey childhood in the 1930s. Young Pat (Vince Mazzilli) is a white boy who makes friends with Jacob Branch (Richard Habersham), a young black boy his own age. The two eventually are separated by the racial injustices of their times and the Korean War. Pat loses a leg in battle but remains hopeful when he learns his old friend Jacob is scheduled for a tryout with a professional baseball team. Pat's heart is broken when Joe DiMaggio retires, Lou Costello dies, and Jacob is lynched by the murderous KKK. Walking among the urban decay of his boyhood town, Pat realizes that Jacob was the first person he considered to be real hero.