 The story touches on the subjects of marriage, race, prejudice, class, and family in 1950s Martha's Vineyard.The film aired on ABC on February 22 and February 23, 1998.Shelby Cole (Halle Berry) returns to Martha's Vineyard and the Cole family home, in a section of town known as 'The Oval', to wed her white fiancé, jazz pianist and composer Meade Howell (Eric Thal).