A white attorney, his three children and their black housekeeper are struck by the tremors of changing times and the fledgling civil-rights movement in a small Southern city in the late 1950s. In the second season, the Bedford family mourns the death of their mother Gwen and Forrest tries to put an end to his illicit romance with Christina. He takes a position as U.S. Attorney but loses favor in Washington for pursuing a case in which he believes the Klan to be implicated. Nathan becomes romantically linked with an African-American girl who is soon expelled for protesting school athletic segregation. The community attempts to set up a school that teaches non-violent protest and voter registration. Meanwhile, Nathan's best friend, Slocum, is accused of sexual assault by his pregnant ex-girlfriend and is sent to trial with Christina arguing his defense.