Roots

Kunta Kinte, a young man from Gambia who excels in traditional coming-of-age ceremonies, is captured by slave traders and forced onto a ship bound for the Americas, beginning a painful journey into slavery.

Despite a failed slave revolt, the Lord Ligonier arrives at its destination, and Kunta Kinte is sold at a brutal auction in Annapolis. Fiddler, a fellow enslaved man tasked with training Kunta, becomes his only ally, though their bond is challenged when Kunta decides to attempt an escape.

In 1776, as the American colonies struggle for independence, Toby, a Mandinka man enslaved and renamed Kunta, continues to be inspired by his past as a warrior and attempts to escape bondage once again.

Genelva spends a night with Junta to divert suspicion and facilitate her escape with him, while Kunta develops feelings for the experienced Bell and eventually marries her.

Teenager Kizzy, knowledgeable in Mandinka culture, forms a bond with Noah, a young man eager to leave his current circumstances.

Chicken George is sent to England as part of a debt settlement after his owner loses a high-stakes gambling game.

Chicken George returns to North Carolina to visit his married sons and growing family, only to discover a state law that could cost him his hard-won freedom if he remains for more than 60 days, as the country is drawn into the chaos of the Civil War.

Following the Civil War, night riders threaten former slaves, and Tom risks his life by marking horseshoes to uncover their identities. Meanwhile, Chicken George, a former Union soldier, reunites with his family and guides them to a new beginning in Tennessee.