Spencer McCain is the CEO of an international oil company. He also is a personal friend of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson, for whom he served as a major fundraiser. In the late 1960s the oil industry is under pressure from Middle Eastern oil producers who threaten to cut oil supplies to the US because of support for Israel. To deal with the threat, McCain hopes to rejuvenate oil production domestically, estimated to cost two billion dollars. McCain knows that several of his board members oppose the plan, especially the senior member who wants his job. Cordell Jackson, an African-American in his early sixties, has shined shoes in the headquarters for twenty years. A WWII veteran, Jackson was seriously wounded. Oliver Crawford, recently named by the president to be secretary of the army, asked McCain to hire Jackson. During the war, McCain served with Crawford's father. Crawford and Jackson served together during the Battle of the Bulge, for which Crawford received the Medal of Honor. However, due to an incident that considerably raises Jackson's profile, there is some evidence that Crawford may have received the medal that Jackson deserved. The controversy raises tensions between McCain and his board, President Johnson, and Crawford.