Part 1: The Beginning

Joe Slattery is retired and lives on his own in Schuylkill Township, Pennsylvania, a rural, off-the-beaten-path part of the state. One night he is startled to see a young black man on his front porch, knocking at the door. No words are exchanged, but Joe pulls a loaded .38 revolver from the side-table by his chair and fires twice through the glass door. A police interview and investigation ensues and Joe is left to reflect on what transpired. The town must contend with reverberations from this event.

This story is snatched from the headlines. As events transpire, these tangled lives - Joe, the young man who was shot, the local sheriff - try to move forward from tragedy to hope.

The story is narrated by a third person voice.