Russ Hildebrandt is an associate minister at First Reformed Presbyterian Church in New Prospect, a fictional Chicago suburb. He begins his day of ministerial duties in December 1971 with excitement. One of his parishioners, Frances Cottrell, has agreed to accompany him to do odd jobs for a nearby church in a predominantly Black neighborhood, even though her first time performing this service weeks earlier ended poorly. Although Russ is married and has four children, he finds himself more and more attracted to Frances, a widow with two children.

The first time Frances accompanied Russ and several women from First Reformed to the majority-Black church, she inadvertently caused a scene. She struck up a conversation with a teen boy named Ronnie, who has a developmental disability and comes by the church often when his mother is not sober. When Ronnie’s mother later showed up, she angrily told Frances to stay away from Ronnie. Russ managed to de-escalate the situation, but the minister of the church, Theo Crenshaw, was displeased. On the ride home, Frances admitted that she could not help but feel afraid in the majority-Black neighborhood. Russ persuaded her to give it another chance, explaining how important it is to learn to understand other people’s perspectives.