Justin and Wiley had never seen the ocean before they joined the Coast Guard after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They would come to know it well. With only a rifle and a dog for company, they patrol the beaches at night, searching for signs of enemy approach while they worry about the folks on the home front and long for the girls they left behind. When the threat of invasion fades, they are assigned to sea duty as gunner's mates on the Mintaka, a Liberty ship transporting troops and cargo to islands in the Pacific. As the two friends adjust to their new assignment, they meet Cubby and 'Leb, two black members of the crew. Justin is able to confide in Cubby, discussing his concerns about racial tensions at home as he witnesses similar issues aboard the Mintaka. Wiley forms a tenuous bond with 'Leb as he worries about how he will measure up if the time comes. At home or at sea, trouble is never far away. Letters from home offer comfort, but the news is not always reassuring. Justin worries about the racial trouble brewing in Glory, their hometown, while Wiley frets over what Agnes, his headstrong girlfriend might do while he is away. As Cubby tells Justin, "This war change a lot of things, for sure."