June 1928. Houston, Texas is poised to host the National Democratic Convention when a lynching occurs six days prior to the political conclave's opening. Fort Worth Star Telegram reporter Phillis Flanagan is on the scene and witnesses Houston's attempts to rid itself of the shame as 25,000 visitors arrive for their four-day visit. Will Rogers, H. L. Mencken, Damon Runyan, Louella Parsons, and Will Durant are among the 500 journalists who have plenty to say about national politics and Houston residents, as well as the city's intolerable weather. During the Convention, Phillis gets an inside look at women's struggle to enter politics and Houston's cover up of the shameful crime, as she painfully learns that some news stories can never be written.