The book opens with an overview of post-World War II racial injustice in the United States and in St. Louis. It then goes on to tell about the founding, composition, and organization of the St. Louis chapter of CORE in 1947. It relates activities at lunch counters, cafeterias, and restaurants and recounts successes in winning over initially hostile owners, managers, and service employees. It also offers a detailed review of the group's sixteen-month campaign at a major St. Louis department store, Stix, Baer & Fuller. Kimbrough and Dagen explain how CORE's efforts culminated with the passing of a public accommodations ordinance in 1961 that required facilities to be open to all.

Reminiscences by members and reports of sit-ins and demonstrations drawn from CORE newsletters (1951-1955) appear throughout the text. In a brief epilogue, Victory without Violence recaps the group's accomplishments, traces the lasting effects of the CORE experience on the lives of its members, and recommends a CORE approach to present-day problems of social injustice.