An African-American family from Flint, Michigan witnesses the intensity of the Civil Rights Movement firsthand during a trip to Birmingham, Alabama in the summer of 1963. Daniel (Wood Harris) and Wilona Watson (Anika Noni Rose) are the proud parents of three bright young children. But when their teenage son Byron (Harrison Knight) runs into trouble with the law, the frustrated parents pack up Byron, his brainy younger brother Kenny (Bryce Clyde Jenkins) and their little sister Joetta (Skai Jackson) into the family car, and start heading south. Daniel and Wilona hope that a visit with Byron's strict Grandma Sands (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) will steer the unruly youth out of his rebellious tail-spin, but a trip around Birmingham with family friend Mr. Robert (David Alan Grier) reveals that a much more urgent struggle is currently underway. Later, as Birmingham becomes the powder keg at the center of the Civil Rights Movement, this family from Michigan bears witness to a struggle that will leave the entire country forever changed.