In June of 1964, three idealistic young men (one black and two white) were lynched by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi. They were trying to register African Americans to vote as part of the Freedom Summer effort to bring democracy to the South. Their disappearance and murder caused a national uproar and was one of the most significant incidents of the Civil Rights Movement, and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Mitchell takes a comprehensive look at the brutal murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, through to the conviction in 2005 of mastermind Edgar Ray Killen.

"We shall not be moved" lyrics -- Prologue -- Introduction -- A planned, deliberate murder -- Andrew Goodman -- James Chaney -- Michael Schwerner -- The long summer -- Three streaks of lightning in the sky -- Making the federal case -- Mississippi moves toward a murder trial -- The trail of Edgar Ray Killen -- Afterword: Toward the beloved community -- Saint: Fannie Lou Hamer -- Visionary: Bob Moses -- Witness: Florence Mars -- Investigator: Jerry Mitchell.