John Dewey

In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights. 10,000 Black Men Named George, the title, refers to the fact Pullman porters were often called "George" by white passengers, which was considered a racial slur.

Nora Barkin is an aspiring actress who supports herself by working for a courier service. No sooner has Nora's friend and coworker Bill Reagan jubilantly announced that he possesses a lottery ticket worth 13 million dollars than Bill is killed by an unknown assailant. Though discouraged from doing so by investigating detective Marinello, Nora insists upon trying to solve Bill's murder herself.

Prematurely deceased people are given the opportunity to correct something that went wrong in their lives and thus change them for the better.