Sharma Riggs frantically pushed through the door of the Langton Soup Kitchen. Gloria Westfall heard the commotion from where she stood in the kitchen. She dried her hands with the bottom of her apron on her way into the dining area. As she entered, she saw a small Black woman fall to her knees clutching the side of her face and gasping for breath. “Help me. Please, help my daughter,” the sick woman said before she fell to the floor. Gloria wasn't sure which frightened her more, the possibility that the woman had Covid-19 or the color of her skin.

Sharma's death led Gloria, Joel Clarkston, and Sam Wassem of the Langton Soup Kitchen to the south end of town where fear of guns and drugs controlled the neighborhood. Sam's secret helped uncover the sinister plot of two corrupt police officers who threatened those on the south end to keep them quiet. The three formed unexpected friendships and worked together during a pandemic crisis to seek freedom to breathe for all of Langton's citizens.