Once two heroes

the long version

"Once Two Heroes is the story of America in the aftermath of World War II. Two men go off to serve their country and ideals in the war against tyranny and return home heroes: Mather, a black man who grew up in France, and Lewis, from a genteel, old, white Mississippi family. On the battlefield they fought as equals, each proving himself a man to be reckoned with. But back home Mather and Lewis learn, each in his own way, that what has happened in war was no preparation for the brutal violence of peace. Tragic circumstances - a murder in Mississippi, a police chase, and a desperate bid for freedom - bring these two men face-to-face one night. Their strangely sympathetic lives intertwine once more in a way that changes both of them forever."--BOOK JACKET.