In this BAFTA-nominated drama, Axel North (John Cassavetes) works in a freight yard where his racist, mob-connected boss (Jack Warden) constantly bullies him. When North's African-American co-worker Tommy Tyler (Sidney Poitier, in a BAFTA-nominated performance) dies in an "accident," North is pressured into silence by the corrupt union. But Tyler's widow (Ruby Dee) refuses to be silent, and her actions inspire North to stand up for his beliefs.