A man will fight to his last for Hope when Hope is all he hasOur story begins in the early 1900s in the rural south where a sharecropping family makes the decision to move north. Young Reilly Thorn along with his parents and ancient grandfather make their way to an impoverished black slum on the south side of the Chicago. Once there, they encounter the predictable resentment and prejudice of the white community, but in addition, they experience for the first time black on black hostility they were not prepared for.The family weathers the storms of hatred and inequity and through hard work and perseverance manage to survive in this strange new environment. A violent encounter with a black street gang provides the motivation for Reilly to become a Chicago police officer. He achieves this goal with the help of a benevolent mentor. Reilly, at a young age, will discover a love of and a talent for boxing. He's skilled but will walk away from the sport to pursue his law enforcement career. He meets Sissy, his one true love, and together the two marry and begin a family. Fate and circumstances conspire to force Reilly back to ring. Will he climb through the ropes? If he does, will he survive? Prohibition, the Great Depression, corruption, and lawlessness provide a powerful background to a story of a family trying to find their way in an unforgiving world.