A young, white school teacher is assigned to Yamacraw Island, an isolated fishing community off the coast of South Carolina, populated mostly by poor black families. He finds that the basically illiterate, neglected children there know so little of the world outside their island.

Jon Voight
as Pat Conroy

Paul Winfield
as Mad Billy

Madge Sinclair
as Mrs. Scott

Tina Andrews
as Mary

Antonio Fargas
as Quickfellow

Ruth Attaway
as Edna

James O'Rear
as Messenger

Gracia Lee
as Mrs. Sellers

C.P. MacDonald
as Mr. Ryder

Jane Moreland
as Mrs. Webster