On Christmas Day in 1915, Nellie Lee Love and her sister Erma Jean are given diaries by their mother. Nellie puts hers away until she begins with New Year's Day, 1919, recording her thoughts and the events involving her family and friends during a year of change. The Great War is over, but a different war is brewing in the United States. As black soldiers return from battle overseas, they are faced with discrimination and the fear of lynching in their hometowns. The violence of racism hits home for the Love family, becoming too brutal to ignore.