The book takes place in early 1900s Mississippi, where the main character Ben Corbett is assigned by President Theodore Roosevelt to research lynching in the area. Ben witnesses many lynchings and, after learning too much, is captured and hung but survives. He is later attacked by a gang of white men but fights them off and has them arrested. The climax is the trial of the attackers, which is lost due to the all-white jury. Ben completes his assignment and returns to the White House to be congratulated by the president.