Fourteen-year-old John Grimes finds a spiritual awakening during an evening night service at a Harlem storefront Pentecostal church while his parents reflect on their sins and despairs.
Everyone in the family believes that fourteen-year-old John will grow up to be a minister like his step-father. John's sister tries to bring him down because of his loss of faith and identity.
The play is set in a small town in the Deep South. Before the play begins, a twenty-year old Negro, who has been living in the North since he was fourteen and who has become a drug addict, comes home to recover and rebuild his life. He is killed and the play pivots on his murder.
