The time is 1943 and war rages throughout Europe. Vince LaSalle, a black soldier, faces the difficulties of loyalty to a country that often refuses to acknowledge him as one of its own sons. While at home in Harlem for a single day due to circumstances that he is not at liberty to discuss, the warrior and his fiancée, Vierna Lillis, struggle with emotions that have been worn raw by the realities of life in a segregated and frequently indifferent American society.

Returning to the war, Vince endures a harrowing voyage across the Atlantic during which he battles both doubting countrymen and the German Luftwaffe. Upon reaching London, the combat veteran settles into his newly assigned role of delivering supplies, even though he is extraordinarily qualified for special missions. Vince is devastated when he realizes that America has transported its greatest shortcoming, the virulent practice of racism, to foreign shores.

During a delivery, he encounters Jan Holling, an adjutant to British code breakers. Through her, he is introduced to a side of war that rivals combat in its sheer brutality.  In France, Jan and other agents are captured and shipped to the heart of the enemy camp in Berlin where they experience a new danger that is more pressing than death.

In Italy, Vince’s skills finally are recognized and he is given a savior’s mission: rescue Jan and the other captives – or ensure that they cannot reveal the vital secrets. With the help of the Polish resistance, Vince reaches Berlin and attempts the impossible.