A bigoted and obstinate white patriarch finds redemption in his struggle with life-altering change after his wife suffers a stroke and a tenacious black female caregiver takes control of his life.

SYNOPSIS:

With 60 years of marriage under his belt and almost as many of those years living on the same farm, 76-year-old WB Winter has grown accustomed to his daily routine and the same day-to-day experiences. Between spending time in the general store he's owned for over 50 years and tending his crops, WB lives his life the same each day. And he's happy with that.

Polly Winter loves her life. Married to WB for 60 wonderful years, she dotes on her family when they visit the farm. Every day's the same for her. Cook. Clean. Shop. Cook. Work in the store. Cook. She looks after WB and she enjoys the time they spend together.

While celebrating WB's 76th birthday with a huge family Sunday dinner, Polly suffers a major stroke.

79-year-old May Upchurch has always cared for people. Never married. No children. The oldest of 12 children, May helped her tenant farming parents as she cooked, cleaned and cared for her siblings. She's not unaccustomed to working hard and caring for others, having been a caregiver for children and elderly folks over the years.

After several misfortunate incidents, WB and Polly's children are forced to find someone to move in with their parents. Luckily for the Winters, May's former employer passed away and she was looking for a new opportunity.

WB does not like change. And as a white man born and steeped in "traditional" Southern male values, he's taken aback by having an African-American woman running his life. It's bad enough that a female is in charge, but the fact that she's black really upsets him.

Turpin Powell 75-year-old yard man. He lives rent free in a shack down on Sapony Creek on WB's property with his three dogs. He suffers brain damage that occurred at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan when he was a young man. He does yard work and picks up drink bottles for their deposits.

May deals with WB and his set ways the best she can. She's had plenty of white people that have treated her poorly over the years, but as a "good Christian woman" she turns the other cheek and treats everyone as she wants to be treated: with respect.

With May now a part of their lives, WB and Polly adjust. Whether it's tending the garden; fishing; cooking; working in the store or running into town to the beauty parlor, May runs the show with a gentle and loving hand. Several adventures throughout the following year offer WB some insight into the life and times of May Upchurch, giving him a newfound respect and admiration for his caregiver.

Over their time together, WB and May find themselves to be kindred spirits with more in common than they originally ever thought. Their relationship grows into a deep friendship and teaches the old dog WB some new tricks.

MAY IN THE FIELDS OF WINTER