The Legend of Denny O’Doyle is a coming-of-age drama set in 1954. It follows Gilbert Johnson, a gifted black teenager, who has moved with his family from Mobile, Alabama to Haverhill, Massachusetts. While Gilbert simply wants to finish out his senior year so he can return to his hometown and play college football, his unlikely friendship with the high school smart aleck, Denny O’Doyle, threatens to disrupt his plans.