As Stumpy Fowler sets out to work on one fine May morning in 1956, he's blissfully unaware of what's unfolding around him. At his house, events are being set into motion that will turn his world--the small-town of River Falls, a place strictly segregated into black and white sections--upside down.
Because Bessie Williams, his wife's "help" and the leader of the Bethel A.M.E. Church choir has decided that this is the year her choir will enter The Sing.
An annual singing competition "open to all," The Sing is the one thing River Falls is known for ... and no black choir has ever competed. Bessie's determined to change that, but integration will have dire consequences. This is the South. Racism and the Klan are active and thriving in River Falls, and they'll do anything to keep The Sing as white as it's always been.
It causes Stumpy to ask questions that he never thought of, arrive at answers he'd never considered, and learn new things about his friends ... things he'd really rather not know. Stumpy doesn't really care for change, but suddenly, he's drowning in it.