Boston, Massachusetts. 1979. The city is racked by racial violence over court-ordered busing to achieve school desegregation. Serena Fox, an African-American college student, takes a class on the history of racism and becomes captivated by the ideas and passion of David Walker, the influential but unheralded 19th century black abolitionist.

After receiving several "visits" from him -- "Is this his ghost or am I going crazy?”-- Serena is convinced that Walker, who officially died of lung disease, may have been assassinated by the agents of Southern planters alarmed by his incendiary writings.

Determined to learn the truth about his death, she leads a campaign to build a memorial at his unmarked gravesite in South Boston – and to exhume his remains. Her controversial quest triggers a media backlash, hate calls, and a rupture in her relationship with her white boyfriend. But Walker’s inspirational example gives her strength and a belief that she has a leadership role to play in the contemporary struggle for racial justice.