Ezekiel Wilson preaches in support of prohibition so that his flock will believe him to be an upstanding Baptist minister. And so that he can continue in his illegal bootlegging operation. But when prohibition is finally enforced, he finds himself pitted against immovable forces, including the God he's so long claimed to serve. At the close of 1958, Ezekiel is preaching and bootlegging; Robert Arrington is coming to terms with his rebellious nature; Nigel Baxter is sent to enforce the tired prohibition laws in hopes of repealing them. As 1958 gives way to 1959, the fight for prohibition increases and all three lives are caught in the crosswires.