The story opens with David, a high school senior, standing at his bedroom window, looking out at the sunrise over Fort Sumter. Since his father died a year ago, David has pushed back from life and, to make matters worse, is scheduled to pitch today in a baseball game at his school, in which his bigoted coach has asked him to throw at another player, an African American young man who is new to the school. Things are not as they should be. That day,...