Just as anti-war leaders invite protestors en masse to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the author, twenty-one and unmarried, discovers her pregnancy. The father, a young Black civil rights worker, is thrilled, but what about Gail's family? Her devout Catholic mother tries to have her declared mentally unstable. Her daughter is not only expecting a Black man's child, but dropped out of college midsemester for reasons Gail can't talk about.
As the Viet Nam body count grows, the couple fights an invisible war of their own. People on the street startle, wince,
and stare. And when cops repeatedly stop Emmon for phony moving violations, Gail wonders if their bond can hold. Their daughter is born fat and full-term, but with a mysterious medical problem.
How do Chicago's rage and Gail's secret shame affect her relationship with Emmon? And how will it all affect their struggling baby girl?