A teacher in the desegregated south must deal with her feelings of racism in light or her Christian testimony. Elizabeth Nolan loses her husband and daughter in an automobile accident. She never really recovers from the loss. In addition, she must deal with the added stress of teaching black students, which is something that she does not want to do.
Soon a black girl that looks like her daughter enters her classroom. When Mrs. Nolan develops an emotional attachment to this girl (she actually believes that the girl is her daughter), she must not only deal with her mental issues, but she must also deal with her feelings of racism in light of her Christian testimony.
