 In a continiation of the film of the same name, Virgil Tibbs returns home to Sparta, Mississippi from Philedelphia with his wife Althea for the funeral of his mother when he is offered the position of chief of detectives for the town s mostly caucasian police force. At first their is tension between not only Virgil and Chief Bill Gillespie, but also between Virgil and Sgt. (and later Captain) Bubba Skinner. However, not only do they learn to work together, but they all eventually become very close friends against the backdrop of the "New South".