Construction workers discover the corpse of John 'Donny' Donovan, missing since 1948, shortly before he was to lead a strike against scrooge contractor Sam Bertleman Sr. of fellow sandhogs (urban miners, digging tunnels). The boss stirred discord among the men, using threats and hiring Pinkerton. The agency found out about Donny's affair with Alice , the widow of equally black Nate Stallworth, whose accidental death due to lacking precautions started Donny's syndical zeal, whom he got pregnant while unhappily married. Yet another rivalry played a fatal part.
—KGF Vissers