It's 1918, the height of United States involvement in World War I - Liberty Bonds are sold, German immigrants are suspected as traitors or saboteurs, young men everywhere succumb to the patriotism and propaganda and enlist. In a small Texas town, Horace Robedaux feels the pressure - he doesn't want to leave his young wife Elizabeth and their young child Jenny - but Elizabeth's can't-do-anything-right little brother is constantly talking about the war, and Elizabeth's stern father, who opposed the marriage initially, now has plans to take care of his daughter and the child so Horace can fight for his country. However, the influenza epidemic sweeping the town (and the nation) may change everyone's plans.

television series

Chicago police detective Dicky Cobb turns in some crooked cops and finds himself persona non grata in the department. He is reassigned as an investigator for assistant D.A. Tess Kaufman, partly due to the fact that she is deaf and he can sign. Tess works for District Attorney Arthur Gold, a slick opportunist. Dicky investigates her cases, with the frequent help of Detective Earl Gaddis, a chain-smoking cop who is the only one on the force Dicky still gets along with. Tess is assisted by her faithful translator, Ben Douglass. Her ex-husband, Bruce Kaufman, continues to make life unhappy for her by involving her in his insensitive schemes. Dicky is romantically involved first with Kay Lockman, a cop's daughter who runs a bar, and later with defense attorney Maggie Zombro, with whom he often conflicts in court.