Clara's love for Joel could cost her everything. The stakes are high for Clara, a pretty, young migrant fieldworker working the harvesting season with dreams of a better life, and for Joel, son of a prominent farm owner who is well-known for his hatred of black people.

With racial tensions already running high in the poverty-stricken agricultural town of Belle Glade in the searingly hot summer of 1964, falling in love with handsome, blond-haired Joel Bedford is a dangerous step. Knowing they could be discovered at any time, nevertheless, Joel and Clara's love grows. However, when violence erupts in the town, and a man is murdered, they are forced to choose between family loyalties and an uncertain future together. Can their love survive where there is so much hatred?