James L. Carter

Probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran of the Baltimore Fire Department under the watchful eye of his mentor Chief Mike Kennedy. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. As Jack reflects on his life - seeing his first fire, bonding with fellow firefighters, the impact his job has had on his wife and kids - Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save Jack's...

Set in Mississippi in the late 1940s and based on Willie Morris' boyhood memoirs. Eight-year-old Willie loses his only friend in the world to the draft until his mother gives him a puppy for his birthday.