In 1968, a simple rite of passage like graduation can have a deadly consequence: eligibility for the draft. When Bobby Kennedy is assassinated the night before Alexander “Zack” Zacharias’s college graduation, Zack’s hopes of Kennedy ending the war are dashed. Now his only option for deferment is to join the Teachers for Change program. He’s convinced teaching will be easy, allowing him to pursue his real goal of living a creative life in the East Village. But Zack is assigned extremely challenging students from low-income neighborhoods. Hispanics, Blacks, Poles, Italians, and Jews, all of them dealing with the frictions created from crowded proximity. Zack tries his best to connect and engage the students and their families, but the narrowmindedness and limitations set by the school system make it difficult to bring about any positive change. In fact, Zack is thwarted at every step forward he tries to make. Feminism challenges his encounters with women, poverty restricts him, teaching seems impossible, and the threat of the draft hangs over everything he does. When Zack finally makes some headway with his students in a real, impactful way, he feels the momentary joy of success—but it comes at a dangerous cost.