On one of the nation's cauldron campuses during the
1968 Nixon-Humphrey presidential campaign,
Cascade
University President Neal Hassler is caught
between militant
students and an irate citizenry. Under
statewide criticism, he is defiant in public as he unravels
behind the scenes. His primary student antagonists are
SDS leader Annie Laughlin and Jake Powell, chairman of
the Campus Coalition Against the War. They're close to
student
journalist Kit Dunleavy, who struggles to balance
her relationships
with the radicals and her theoretical
objectivity.
Complicating matters
and infuriating fans, Jake also is
a starting linebacker
for the Cascade Fishermen football
team, expected to challenge
O.J. Simpson and the USC
Trojans for the Pacific 8 Conference
title. Coach Larry
Benson, a World War II P-38 pilot criticized for allowing his
players to participate in campus politics, faces pressure
to both tighten the reins, especially with Powell and star
tailback Ricky Hilton, and win at all costs.
Amid campus and national unrest, the Fishermen
-- an
eclectic group with several star players and bright
young
coaches destined for bigger things -- encounter triumph,
controversy, and disappointment. Ultimately, the ensemble
cast's fates are intertwined in a fall that becomes The
Witch's
Season.
