For Chicago physician Mitch Wilner, July 4, 1937, began as a typical holiday-a leisurely afternoon at the beach with his wife and young children. But when a peaceful protest erupts in violence, and Mitch sees unarmed steel mill strikers attacked by the local police, he finds himself thrust into the heart of America's labor struggles.
In the days and months that follow, Mitch witnesses the aggressive strike-breaking tactics used by the steel mill companies, the brutality of the authorities, and the blatant corruption of the local government and media. But in the unionists, Mitch discovers a bond that crosses ethnic, class, and racial boundaries, and truly embodies the spirit of the American dream.
