In the early 1900s, Al Johnson is 29 years old when he meets the woman of his dreams—nineteen-year-old Evie Ashton. After a whirlwhind courtship, they marry, but Evie is used to a certain lifestyle that Al labors to provide. Through struggles and hardships, against the backdrop of the Great War and the Spanish flu, Al and Evie fight for survival—both for their family, and for the life they've built together. Based on a true story, Coal, War & Love explores what it meant to be poor and "colored" in the early 20th century. For many, it was a time of imagination and great hope, a wonderful time to be alive—but for others, it was rife with struggle that only the strongest might overcome.
