During World War II, Elliott Maraniss commanded an all-black company in the Pacific, yet in his postwar life, he was spied on by the FBI. Named as a communist by an informant, Maraniss was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952, fired from his newspaper job, and blacklisted for five years. Amazingly, he never lost faith in America and emerged on the other side with his family and optimism intact. In a sweeping drama that moves from the Depression to the end of the McCarthy era, David Maraniss weaves his father's story through the lives of his inquisitors and defenders, all struggling with vital 20th century issues of race, fascism, communism, and First Amendment freedoms.