From Ernest J. Gaines, author of “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman”, comes a deceptively simple, yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy's discovery of what it's like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940's. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother accompanies James to town on an eye opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism-and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award winning film explores a child's discovery that the world is a complicated place…where things are never truly black or white…only shades of gray.