Shelby is a self-sufficient young man with an inner-strength born out of early tragedy. When his parents died, Shelby was just 12 years old. He moved from his small town home to live with his brother in the big city of Toledo, OH, where he attended an integrated high school, free of the sting of racial prejudice. After Pearl Harbor, he’s keen to sign up for the nation’s first all-black air corps. It is only when he enters the U.S. military that Shelby’s eyes are opened to racial injustice. Shelby decides to be the best pilot in the entire war–convinced that his actions will be the most eloquent testament to his right to equal treatment.