Roots

In 1750, in the Gambia River region, Omoro Kinte and his wife Binta give birth to their son, Kunta. In 1767, Kunta is captured and sold to British slave traders, who transport him to the American colonies, where he is purchased by Virginia planter John Waller.

Redcoats try to recruit enslaved people to fight for the British by offering them freedom. Kunta Kinte attempts to flee but is captured and cruelly punished with the amputation of part of his foot to prevent future escapes. He is then sold by John Waller to his younger brother, William.

George rises to prominence as a skilled gamecock trainer, earning the nickname "Chicken George," and marries Matilda, the daughter of a local preacher, starting a large family. After losing a bet with an Englishman, Tom Lea is forced to sell George to settle his debts and save his farm.

After twenty years away, Chicken George returns to the Lea farm, where his son Tom harbors lingering resentment. George and Cyrus enlist in the Memphis Colored Battery, while Tom returns home after the war to begin a new chapter with his family.