The Sibylline Books

In war-torn France, 1918, Sergeant Doug Yeager, 20, inadvertently blasts to pieces a cellar full of American soldiers—his comrades. Escaping notice and prosecution, he begins a whiskey-drinking habit to assuage his guilt and calm his shattered nerves.

In Los Angeles, California, 1936, Private Detective Doug Yeager and his best friend Malcolm Smalls workout at a local boxing gym. Afterward, Doug takes a streetcar to a section of economically depressed downtown LA, passing a soup line and wall posters advertising films and election candidates. He deals with aggressive panhandlers as he approaches the entrance to Chinatown, where he buys a packet of medicinal herbs from his former girlfriend Angie Li. Doug takes another streetcar to the home of his Aunt Sophie, a matronly German immigrant. The herbs are for her headaches. He leaves with a sack of fresh-baked cookies.

Approaching the door to his office, his landlord demands rent. Doug promises full payment next Tuesday and reluctantly surrenders his sack of cookies. He enters his office. A large sign on the wall screams “No Smoking.” He mutely observes his receptionist, Christine, a blonde beauty of 20, blowing chewing gum bubbles while gabbing on the phone to her friend. He reminds her about a report that needs typing, and enters his inner office. While listening to swing jazz on the radio, he drinks several shots of whiskey to calm his trembling hands. This he does several times a day, every day.

Doug is at the wheel of his sedan. Next to him sits Big Dan Bronstein, 21, 6’4”, his intern assistant, who has a “Jimmy-Olsen” personality. They are on their way to a swing dance at the famous Dunbar Hotel in South Central LA., where popular swing bands regularly play on weekends. There he meets Linda, a blue-eyed blonde from Omaha. They dance very well together. Jealous Angie reacts by teaching Big Dan to dance. Walking back to the car after the dance, Doug and Big Dan render insensate three thugs, one of whom was Linda’s former dance partner.

Augustus Jones, 50, balding, overweight, Professor of Ancient History at UCLA, snuggles on a couch with pretty Mary Dragoni, 22, a former student of his. They listen intently to a radio show that features an explanation of the Sibylline Books, mystical scrolls that helped ancient Romans navigate the future, and thought lost in a fire two thousand years ago. Jones casually remarks that he has a plan.

For their first date, Doug and Linda see a Clark Gable film and share a meal at the Hollywood Brown Derby. She learns about his shaking problem, while he learns of her hatred of alcohol. He says nothing about his habit. He meets Helen, Linda’s best friend. Both are professional dancers for MGM, both seeking their fortunes in Hollywood. Linda makes it known that she despises President Roosevelt for his ending of Prohibition and his war-mongering. Doug and Linda decide to enter a dance contest at the Dunbar, which they win. They establish a sexual relationship.

Doug sends Helen to Angie’s pharmacy for medicinal herbs. There, Angie tells Helen that Doug is an alcoholic. Furious, Linda calls Doug and breaks off their relationship. Doug considers, then decides against suicide.

In a narrow tunnel under a hill that overlooks the ancient Roman Forum, Professor Jones discovers a foot-long urn that holds the Sibylline Books. Fluent in Italian and Latin, he smuggles the priceless artifact out of Mussolini’s Italy in a small plane, barely escaping with his life. Upon his return to LA, he stays for the first few days with his older sister Pamela at her farmhouse in rural Chatsworth.

At an MGM dance practice, Linda and Helen sit together during a break. Another dancer, Bambi LaTour, 30, tall blond from France, joins them. Against Helen’s conciliatory opinion, Bambi convinces devastated Linda to forget about Doug, since, according to her, all men are rats.

Popular Professor Jones returns to his Roman History classroom at UCLA. To a packed auditorium, he announces his discovery. Bookish Constance, 19, explains the significance of the Sibylline Books to the class. Judy, Italian-American, asks about the whereabouts of the artifact. Jones says it’s secretly and temporarily stored in a “safehouse,” a detail noted by a student reporter for the Daily Bruin.

Judy hurries to the Italian Consulate downtown and joins her lover, Il Brutto, 40, huge hands, shaved head and face, black-clad leader of the local Italian fascists. They sit in a meeting room with his three subordinates. They angrily discuss the theft of this precious item that rightfully belongs to Il Duceand the Italian people. They decide to pay Jones a little visit.

Nearby, in a small office of the newly constituted Federal Bureau of Investigation, three agents monitor the bugged meeting room at the Italian Consulate. Bilingual Domenico, level-headed, listens in on his headset. Fastidious Joe Swanson secretly dreams of possessing the priceless item for himself. Patriotic Colonel LaSalle, food addict, is determined to eventually grab the artifact from the fascists or Jones and turn it over to Uncle Sam.

Waiting for dinner, Doug sits across a chess board from his Uncle Frank, a no-nonsense construction worker. Doug laments his lost love. Aunt Sophie invites in two new neighbors. When David, 10, and Karen, 7, learn that Doug is a private eye, they go bananas. David wants to become one, and Karen wants to marry one. Doug is extremely annoyed. He does not like children and conveys this sentiment to his relatives after the kids leave.

Augustus Jones, former High Priest of the “Pagan Worshipers of Nova Roma,” cavorts around the atrium of his Roman villa in Roman clothing. Brutto and his fascist gang invade the premises. While nervous, violent Guido, brutish Knuckles, and masked Judy ransack the place looking for the urn, Brutto and college-educated Marcello interrogate and beat on Jones, who tells them nothing. They finally take him to an empty warehouse, where they torture the stubborn professor—almost to death.

Bambi, aka “High Priestess Livia,” lounges on a couch at her Brentwood estate, enjoying ancient Roman cuisine and sipping on Italian wine. Constance, aka “Clodia,” rushes in and joins her lover on the couch. Bambi learns of Jones’ discovery of the Sibylline Books, and imagines how possession of them would elevate her and her pagan cult to world-wide fame and glory.

One a.m.—Jones, unconscious, is tied to a chair, His head and hands are bloody. Marcello sits alone at a table, reading fascist literature. The door burst open. In walks three local mafiosi, armed with pistols. Jack Dragoni, crime boss, was tipped off. He is backed by his lieutenant Tony and young Jimmy. No love lost between the fascists and the mafia, they kill Marcello and kidnap Jones. They take him to the Dragoni Mansion in Laurel Canyon, where his injuries are bandaged and he rests in bed. Dragoni wants the Sibylline Books. At the very least, he can hold the Professor for ransom. Jimmy is tasked with watching over the unconscious Jones, who awakes a few hours later with no memory of anything. He stumbles out of the building while Jimmy sleeps.

In revenge for Marcello’s killing, the fascists plant a car bomb that injures Dragoni and kills two of his subordinates. Dragoni, his arm in a sling, shoots Jimmy in the forehead, for his failure to guard Jones.

Bambi, dressed and acting provocatively, visits Doug’s office. She easily charms Big Dan, while Doug, cynical and professional, resists her charms. Finally, teary-eyed over the missing High Priest, she hires Doug to find him and the Roman urn.

Doug, a former cop, visits the Jones villa, and runs into LAPD Detective Lieutenant Washburn, his old nemesis. Doug’s former partner, Detective Sergeant Hansen, shows up and gives Doug permission to enter the premises, where he meets FBI agent Colonel LaSalle. They exchange war stories and agree to cooperate on the case. Back at the office, Doug discovers that Christine has done some investigative work. She found the address of Jones’ sister who lives in Chatsworth. She also discovered Bambi’s real name, and that back in France, Bambi was suspected of murdering her wealthy husband, but was never charged due to lack of evidence.

Doug and Big Dan visit Pamela Blunt in Chatsworth. They hear a puppy barking somewhere. She is rude and uncooperative. They leave with nothing but suspicions.

The three FBI agents decide they need a photo of the illusive Brutto. Swanson poses as a suspicious husband and hires Doug for a “routine assignment.” That night, Big Dan waits in the car while Doug climbs a trellis and snaps photos of Brutto and Judy having sex. He falls to the ground with a bang. In response, two large dogs chase Doug and Big Dan into the car. Brutto comes out onto the porch with a shotgun. In a tense scene, the sleuths barely escape unharmed.

Mary, Jack Dragoni’s niece and Bambi’s co-religionist, visits Doug’s office. “Flavia,” her pagan name, relates the details of her lover’s torture by the fascists, and subsequent kidnaping and disappearance. She swears Doug and Big Dan to silence, fearing her uncle’s wrath.

Doug and Big Dan, intent on exploring Laurel Canyon, plan an early start in the morning. While Big Dan waits on Doug’s doorstep, Brutto issues a threat and knocks him unconscious. Doug arrives after Big Dan is rushed to the hospital, and has to deal once more with a hostile Washburn. Hansen steps between them, avoiding a major scene.

Doug arrives at the hospital and “rescues” Big Dan from the medical system. As they walk to Doug’s parked car, the fascist Guido Leto sticks a pistol in Doug’s face. Doug deftly takes it out of Guidos’ hand and points it right back at him. Big Dan places his hunting knife against Guido’s throat. The fascist confesses he was sent by Brutto to kill them, in revenge for the photos. The detectives decide to let Guido off with a warning.

In Laurel Canyon, Doug orders Big Dan to stay in the car and rest while he searches for Jones. He walks down a rough trail until he comes to a big tree. He climbs up to a branch on which sits a bird’s nest. A piece of bloody gauze forms part of the half-finished nest. Tony and Rocco, beefy, slow-witted, both armed with rifles, walk down the hill and stop at the base of Doug’s tree. Before Doug can pull his gun from his shoulder holster, the goons separate and continue to the left and right. Doug, under furious assault from two crows, retrieves the bandage and continues downhill.

Doug approaches a hobo camp. He assures the people in front that he is private detective and not a cop. He asks about Professor Jones. The people retreat inside the tent city. Suspicious, he leaves his business card with one of them.

Doug decides to forgive Angie for her indiscretion. Bambi visits the boys again. She wears a sexy Roman costume, and a golden necklace with a Venus pendant that draws attention to her full bosom. She gives Big Dan a racy photo of her in a French bathing suit. Doug fills her in on the latest news, and tells her that he and Big Dan will be returning to Chatsworth in the morning for another try. She pays him more and flirts outrageously with both men.

Jack Dragoni sits with Tony and Rocco. They plan to gather the troops and invade the Blunt house in the morning, turning it upside down in their search for the Roman urn. The fascists come up with the same plan. The Italian Consul objects in a condescending way. Privately, Brutto explains to him what a fascist is, and threatens to strangle the consul if he ever speaks that way to him again.

From his office, Doug calls LaSalle to fill him in on the latest. While LaSalle is away from his desk, Swanson answers his phone. Doug immediately recognizes the voice and realizes he’s been played. He’s furious but keeps silent. Swanson recognizes the mistake too. LaSalle cautions Doug not to involve the corrupt LAPD regarding the hobo camp.

Mary Dragoni watches the feverish preparations for her uncle’s morning invasion of Chatsworth with dread. Fearing for the safety of everyone, she places an anonymous call to the police.

Doug calls Hanson, ill at his home, and informs him of his visit to the hobo camp. He gets Hanson’s approval for another visit to the Blunt property.

The three FBI agents find out that the fascists are planning their invasion of Chatsworth at the same time that Doug and Big Dan will be there. Swanson wants the Italians to find the Sibylline Books—not Doug, so the FBI will know and can easily confiscate them at the consulate. Colonel LaSalle suffers secret pangs of guilt, figuring that a fellow war veteran will surely end up dead.

Within the hobo camp, Jones begins to recover from his wounds, thanks to loving care from the residents, but has no memory of anything. Two camp residents—felons on the run—plan to kill Jones or at least evacuate him from the camp so the authorities have no excuse to search the camp. The other residents block their attempt to storm Jones’ tent. Back in their own tent, the two fugitives check their weapons and consider what to do.

The following morning, an anonymous woman calls the operator and tells her about two suspicious men who are illegally entering the Blunt property in Chatsworth.

At the same time, Doug and Big Dan leave the cab and walk along the gravel driveway to the Blunt house. Doug notices a broken sandal in the gravel, and wonders about it. They notice the front door ajar. They enter upon a thoroughly ransacked room. The next room is in the same condition. In a shadowy corner, Pamela Blunt’s naked corpse is suspended with signs of torture. Big Dan falls to his hands and knees. His vomit lands on the floor near the body. Doug exits through the open back door in response to a puppy’s barking. In a daze, Big Dan finds a necklace on the floor and slips it into his pocket.

A caravan of black-clad fascists arrives on one side of the Blunt property. Simultaneously, a second caravan of mafiosi thugs reaches the opposite side. They all get out and begin yelling and shooting at each other across the property, with the house between them. Doug and Big Dan hug the floor for safety. Washburn and the police arrive in force, arrest all combatants, and stuff them into paddy wagons. Gloating and threatening, Washburn arrests Doug and Big Dan for murder. While waiting for the trip to the station, Doug privately asks a cop friend to notify Hanson of developments.

Washburn orders Big Dan to empty his pockets at the booking desk. Police Captain Steinmetz walks in with Hansen, and orders Washburn to uncuff and release Doug and Big Dan. Doug remarks that the golden chain with a Venus pendant is the same as the chain in Bambi’s photo, the same one the boys saw on Bambi’s last visit to Doug’s office.

Steinmetz leads a squad to Bambi’s estate to arrest her and Constance. A thorough search fails to locate the Roman urn. Washburn and Hansen interrogate the two women separately. In spite of overwhelming evidence, Bambi admits nothing and demands a lawyer, while Constance makes a full confession after the broken sandal is matched with the unbroken one in her bedroom.

Doug, Big Dan, Washburn, Hansen, and Steinmetz visit the hobo camp. Jones’ keepers respond to Doug’s friendly gestures and surrender their charge. Jones is rushed off to a hospital. The five investigators arrive at the station where they are met by reporters who interview them and take their pictures.

Linda discovers she is pregnant with Doug’s baby. Uncle Frank breaks the news to Doug, who is devastated. He recalls his first marriage to a woman who died in childbirth. Frank points out that the recent publicity will allow Doug to support a family. Doug groans. After dinner, Sophie invites the two neighbor kids back to listen to a Dick Tracy radio show. To his initial dismay, they snuggle up with Doug on the couch.

Mary Dragoni and several classmates visit Jones in the hospital. Under Doug’s friendly questioning, the professor tries but remembers nothing. After everyone leaves, Brutto visits Jones, who has no idea about the Sibylline Books. Brutto kills him.

Doug decides to give up alcohol, Linda’s only condition for getting back together. Malcolm helps him get rid of all alcohol in his home. Doug moves in temporarily with his aunt and uncle, and is attended nightly by Angie and her medicinal herbs. He congratulates Big Dan on passing the state test for the private detective license, and sends him on his first assignment—a missing dog.

At Jones’ funeral, Mary stands with Doug. She points out a fascist goon in the back of the crowd, and surmises that Brutto murdered Jones as punishment for smuggling.

Sophie encourages Doug to call Linda. He apologizes for tricking her, and announces his tenth day of sobriety. They decide to resume their relationship.

That night, Doug returns to his apartment, to find it has been thoroughly ransacked. Brutto is waiting for him, and holds him at gunpoint. He demands to know the location of the Sibylline Books. Doug kicks the gun from Brutto’s hand. They wrestle to the floor. Brutto is intent on choking Doug to death, until Doug bangs him on the head with a snow globe, a gift from Linda. When Big Dan arrives, they place Brutto’s unconscious body in the trunk, along with a shovel, and drive into the local mountains. Doug decides to let Brutto off with a warning, but as they open the trunk, Brutto assaults Big Dan with the shovel. Doug shoots Brutto in the eye. They prepare to bury his body in a makeshift grave.

At Malcolm’s diner in South Central LA, Doug proposes marriage to Linda. She accepts. That night, they sleep together. He suffers a recurring nightmare, and believes he must turn himself in to the army and face justice for his misdeed. She angrily disagrees. The next morning, she writes a letter to a hero of hers, retired Marine General Smedley D. Butler, who is scheduled to give a public talk in DTLA the following weekend.

After his anti-war lecture, Butler invites Linda and Doug to his hotel room. There, he convinces Doug to let it go, that the war was a crime in itself, and that the army owes Doug, not the other way around.

Doug and Linda are married at City Hall in a private ceremony. The Dunbar invites the newlyweds to celebrate with a “wedding dance.”

Three months later, several neighbor kids play among the debris in the backyard of the Blunt farmhouse. One girl finds the Roman urn stashed in the dilapidated dog house. They pry off the lid and shake out the contents—ancient scrolls which have turned to confetti and rotted wood—and which blow away in the wind. Then, they have a rock-throwing contest, with the hapless urn as their target.

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OUR STORY OPENS 10,000 years ago in Anatolia during a regular full moon fertility festival sponsored by nomadic forager-hunter clans. Val, 20, and her younger brother Droo, sedentary farmers of the Digger Clan, are guests. After a wild night of sex and an exciting hunt the next day, they return to Friendship Valley and resume root farming. Some months later, Val suffers her third miscarriage as a result of her arduous work in the field. She runs off to live with the nomads, leaving her home and clan. There, she makes friends and learns many new skills. After a few years, a massive drought devastates the region. Val returns to the valley to find that starvation, murder, and cannibalism are commonplace. The wheat and barley farmers are the only tribal clans with stored food. Jok, 30, male, hero of the Wheat Clan, becomes the de facto chief of the whole Tribe.

Jok takes a liking to Val, making her his favorite lover. The rains return and the farming community thrives once again. Val gives birth to Jok’s son “Sol.” Jok identifies with Sol and sees his son as the heir to his wealth and power. Thus, Val acquires high status in the tribe. Greed and favoritism take hold however. When an unwise decision to cultivate a dangerous field leads to several deaths, many farmers revolt against Chief Jok’s authority. Val takes up their just demands, to distribute the stored wheat and barley evenly among all individuals, and to democratize all decisions regarding the tribe, like it was before. Jok and the elite leadership decide to divide the farmers down the middle, to better control them. Men will receive more food and privileges than women. Many women protest. Val and the protesters are severely beaten into submission. Val and Sol become Jok’s “property.” More tribal greed leads to a brief “war” with a neighboring tribe. Val, along with all women and field workers, are forced by the threat of violence to accept their lower status in the tribe. In spite of that, 

More tribal greed leads to a brief “war” with a neighboring tribe. Val, along with all women and field workers, are forced by the threat of violence to accept their lower status in the tribe. In spite of that, Val displays her skills in math and painting. Being Jok’s consort, she has plenty of leisure time to create a beautiful pictorial history of her Friendship Tribe, for which she and Chief Jok receive high praise from tribal members.

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OUR  STORY OPENS in 218 BCE, with the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca overseeing a morning massacre of a Gallic army, whose failed purpose was to prevent his army from crossing the Alps and entering Roman Italy. That afternoon, a huge Roman army led by two brothers, Publius and Gnaeus Cornelius, arrive in Marseille too late to stop the invasion. Publius’ cocky teenage son, Scipio, and his best friend Decimus, both military Tribunes, believe themselves far more modern and clever than their elders. The two generals decide to send half the army to Spain with Gnaeus, to cut off supplies and reinforcements for Carthage, while Publius will race back to Italy with the rest of the army, Scipio and Decimus in tow. 

Hannibal sits on his horse at the top of an Alpine pass, staring down into Roman Italy. He recalls the implacable hatred for Rome instilled in him and his two brothers by their father. Hannibal loses half of his army during the treacherous winter descent, as he predicted. They finally reach a green valley in Northern Italy and make camp. They count their losses and recruit a local Gallic tribe who bears a grudge against Rome. The Carthaginians then make a bloody example of the Gauls of the city of Turin, who refused to render assistance. They send the Gallic leader’s head in a box to Rome, causing widespread panic with the senators and people. The war hawks overrule the moderates in the Senate and decide to fight Hannibal with a total mobilization of forces. Hannibal’s soldiers drill while a dozen Gallic tribes pay their respects to him and offer their loyalty and assistance. Publius leads his army to the River Ticinus, makes camp, and prepares for battle. Young Scipio brags that he will be the one to capture Hannibal and lead him back to Rome in chains.

The two armies of mostly cavalry face each other on a flat plain. Due to Hannibal’s tactical genius and poor Roman intel, his forces overwhelm the Romans. During the melee, Publius is wounded in the leg. Fallen from his mount and at the mercy of the enemy, Scipio races to his aid and saves his father’s life. Now, Gallic tribes flock in droves to the winner’s camp to offer friendship and assistance. Many Gallic allies desert the Roman camp. Publius stops Scipio and Decimus from executing their incompetent Chief of Intelligence. They leave their camp in haste. The Carthaginian detachment charged with catching them loots the Roman camp instead. Hannibal orders the officer responsible to be executed “by elephant.” 

The famous Roman general Tiberius, followed by his two young tribunes Marius and Cato, strides into the Roman Senate to thunderous applause. He promises to lead his army north and kill Hannibal. Scipio and Decimus sit in their campaign tent on the River Trebia, discussing Greek philosophy, wine, and women. Cato and Marius enter. They despise Greek influence. Discussion soon turns to mutual antagonism and family insults. Lifelong enmity between Scipio and Cato is born. Publius and Tiberius discuss the coming battle. Publius wants to fight Hannibal in the spring. Tiberius wants to fight him immediately. Hannibal holds an evening war council and goes over his ingenious plans for the coming battle. In the morning, winter cold forces the feverish Publius to stay in his warm bed. He orders Scipio and Decimus to stay with him. They protest loudly but are forced to obey orders, as the Carthaginians attack the Roman camp. Hannibal leads the overconfident Tiberius and his raw legions right into his trap and annihilates them. Hannibal’s camp loudly celebrates their stunning victory. He promises to conquer all of Italy. Safe in a walled city, 

Roman officers eat together in a dining hall. Scipio calls Cato a loser. Cato calls Scipio a coward. They get into a fistfight. The room erupts in a donnybrook. Cato falls unconscious. His comrades charge Scipio with murder.

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OUR STORY OPENS four years into the Great Depression, when coal driver Farrell Dobbs, 26, meets Grant, one of the famous—and infamous—Dunne brothers. They agree that their wages are too low to support their families. Grant persuades Farrell to attend a union meeting. With the support of Bill Brown, President of Teamsters Local 574, and over the opposition of the union’s business agent Cliff Hall, the Board of Directors agrees to admit Farrell and Grant to membership, and to hold a membership-wide meeting to draw up a battle plan for the union. In a rancorous confrontation with Minneapolis coal bosses, Bill Brown demands union recognition, collective bargaining, a closed shop, a livable wage, shorter hours, premium pay for overtime, improved working conditions, and job protection through a seniority system. He is hooted out of the room. 

Over a meal of rice and beans, Farrell tells his wife Marvel about Cliff Hall’s successful effort to forbid a strike. The couple reckon that a huge meeting of all coal workers in the city will be the next step. 

Encouraged, the union membership votes to strike. All coal traffic, in the dead of winter, is shut down citywide the next day. Under pressure, the bosses promise to give in to the demands. The members vote to return to work, although warned by Miles Dunne not to trust the bosses or the government. Miles invites Farrell to a private meeting of fellow communists. Farrell is impressed and begins his study of Marxist theory. He is asked to be part of the strike organizing committee. At the next membership meeting, Farrell encourages the union to organize the entire trucking industry in Minneapolis. He and another union member infiltrate an angry meeting of the Citizens Alliance, the ruling class of the city. The bosses vow to defeat the union. Meanwhile at the Teamsters International Headquarters in Indianapolis, President Tobin is furious that a “bunch of Trotskyist troublemakers” have taken over Local 574 without his permission. 

Farrell attends a meeting of the local branch of the “Communist League of America,” led mainly by the Dunne brothers and a tough Swede named “Skogie.” The branch, backed by the CLA national headquarters in New York, announce their enthusiastic backing of the upcoming strike. Skilled workers and farmers from the entire region come together to prepare an impressive strike headquarters. All trucks entering the city without a special union pass are refused entry. All trucking companies are picketed and shut down. The Citizens Alliance is outraged. They pressure the mayor and police department to crack unionists’ heads, which only serves to mobilize thousands of fence-sitters as strike supporters. Violent confrontations between cops with their hired thugs and striking workers multiply. Unionists, tired of being beaten, fashion their own home-made defensive weapons. Strikers beat and chase the cops from the main square. Nationally, newsreels in theaters show the cops getting the worst of it, to cheering audiences. The union now owns the streets of the city. The bosses beg for a meeting.

The ”meeting” turns out to be a trap, narrowly escaped by the union leadership. Due to heavy activity, the executive committee appoints the three Dunne brothers, Skogie, and Farrell as full-time staff. The Citizens Committee decides to pressure employers to not cooperate with the union. Marvel and Clara Dunne organize the newly-formed Women’s Auxiliary for fund-raising and other assistance for the strikers. A huge strike rally is held one evening. Both Tobin and the Citizens Alliance are outraged that the CLA plays such a central role. The union publishes and distributes its own newsletter, “The Organizer.” Under pressure to “restore law and order,” the cops descend on a sizable labor action with shotguns. Many are injured, one killed. The police try to invade strike HQ but are chased off. A huge march down the main street honors the driver who was martyred.

The CLA cautions against arming strikers with guns. The membership reluctantly agrees. Farrell uncovers a police agent provocateur, who is soon sent packing. Governor Olson calls out the National Guard and thinks to end the strike, referring the matter to a federal mediator. The military occupies strike HQ and arrests several leaders. Strikers continue to enforce the citywide walkout anyway. Forty-thousand attend a boisterous outdoor strike meeting. The National Committee of the CLA urges the strike committee to soldier on, in spite of financial hardships. Governor Olson receives a phone call from President Roosevelt, who insists that the union be recognized, since an election is coming up and his ally Olson with the Farm-Labor Party will lose votes if his state capital is still under martial law. Troops are withdrawn. The bosses give up. Truckers return to work and vote for Teamsters Local 574 to represent them. At a massive outdoor post-strike meeting, Farrell announces “We won!” to thunderous applause.

In a brief scene in the middle of end credits, the leaders of the Citizens Alliance discuss further dastardly plans to try to defeat the union.

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A recurring opener: Scientists carefully unwrap and read from an ancient scroll.

OUR STORY BEGINS in the village of Nazareth in 6CE, as visitor Ari, 12, and his cousins push Yacov, 9, to the ground. Yacov’s big brother, Yeshua, 10, athletic, charismatic, sees this and knocks Ari down. When Roman soldiers lead a neighbor family away in chains, they chase the soldiers out of their village with rocks and insults. All is forgiven between the boys. The next morning, Ari comes with Yeshua and Yacov as they bring supplies to their friend Amos who lives in a leper colony. The brothers show no fear around lepers. In the assembly hall, the congregation and their religious leader Yitro celebrate Yeshua’s athletic and intellectual achievements. Afterward, Yitro reads a recent prophesy about the coming of the Messiah.

Seven years later, Yeshua, 17, and Yacov pray on a hilltop before practicing martial arts with other male family members. The brothers and their shady Uncle Shelomoh help their father at a building site in the capital city of Sepphoris. Yosef suddenly recognizes his long lost sister-in-law Sarah, Yeshua’s aunt. After fruitlessly bargaining with her two slave masters for her freedom, Yeshua's father Yosef devises a plan to ambush the slavers on the road and free Sarah. Yeshua kills one with his wooden staff. Shelomoh gleefully slits the other’s throat with a knife. Sarah is brought to Nazareth and reunites with her sister, Yeshua's mother, Maryam,, but her identity must be kept a secret. In Sepphoris, Yosef and his sons do some carpentry work for a wealthy Roman lady who treats them like dirt. Sarah, ruined by years of slavery, just wants to die.

Yosef leaves his wife's warm bed early one morning and joins with Yeshua, Yacov and their mule loaded with carpentry tools. They walk to Sepphoris and a work site. In the pre-dawn city, they chance upon two Roman soldiers bullying and threatening a youth caught tagging a store front. When Yosef inquires, one soldier plunges his sword into Yosef's belly, killing him. The two soldiers chuckle and walk away. A meeting of the extended family decides to go through legal channels first. They get nowhere. After the funeral, Grandfather Havel charges Shelomoh, Yeshua, and Yacov with the task of exacting revenge. The three follow the two drunken soldiers out of a pub very late at night and ambush them. They dump the two corpses in a long public vat of urine in front of a fullery, and desecrate them.

In their home in Sepphoris, Roman-hater Shelomoh and his business-minded wife Oprah infuriate his father and mother, Havel and Marta, by declaring they will not accompany the family any longer on pilgrimages to the corrupt Temple in Jerusalem. Yeshua helps organize the village of Nazareth for the long walk to Jerusalem for Passover. All Jews must pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year. When they arrive, Yeshua’s family stays with Uncle Binyamin’s family nearby. In the central marketplace, Yeshua sits with his older friend, Nathan the jeweler. Here Yeshua falls madly for Yochana, 15, under the glare of her wealthy, snobby mother Hypatia and her hateful brother Obadiah, 18.

Grandfather Havel commands a very reluctant Yeshua to accompany him, Binyamin, religious Uncle Aaron and farmer Uncle Amal into the Temple. They have to pay their taxes. Yeshua hates all the evidence of Roman subjugation in and about the Temple, but agrees. All the male family members go together. While waiting in the expansive courtyard, Yeshua challenges a revered religious leader in front of his disciples, regarding the blatant commercialization of the Temple and the religion. When threatened, he throws a Tyrian Shekel at the head of a large disciple, dropping him to his knees. A donnybrook ensues. A mob calls for Yeshua to be stoned to death. Havel and the other relatives hustle Yeshua out of the Temple just in time.