1750. Kunta is born in Juffure, Gambia, West Africa, to parents Omoro and Binta Kinte, and grows to become an able goatherd while absorbing the cultural and religious traditions of his rural village. But the joy upon his successful return from ritual manhood training is tragically short-lived. He and others from nearby tribes are caught by invading foreigners and are eventually transferred to a ship bound for America.

1767. The captive Africans revolt on the voyage to America but fail to take the Lord Ligonier despite the deaths of many of the ship's crew. Docking in Annapolis, MD, after a harrowing three-month crossing, Kunta and fellow survivors are put up for auction, and he goes to the Reynolds plantation in Spotsylvania, VA, where he is be-friended by the American-born Fiddler. That friendship is tested when Kunta plans an escape to reunite with Fanta – and pays a terrible price for his defiance.

1776. A nation fights for freedom…but not for all. Still driven by his memories as a Mandinka “fighting man,” Kunta (now renamed Toby) escapes once more but when he is recaptured, he is crippled so he can’t do so again. But the family cook Belle sets out to raise his downcast spirits and challenges him to get up and walk so he can run again.

1780. After Genelva’s nighttime dalliance with Kunta deflects suspicion so she can flee with her lover, Kunta forms a romantic attachment to the worldly-wise Belle, whom he marries. Uncle Pompey’s drum awakens Kunta to the possibility of freedom but Belle’s revelation that she’s with child changes his mind. With a gain comes a loss: his long-time friend Fiddler dies but the new arrival, a daughter, who is named Kizzy, African for “stay put” brings joy to Kunta and Belle.

1806. The teenage Kizzy, well-versed in Mandinka history thanks to her father, and educated to read and write through her friendship with Missy Anne, falls in love with young Noah, who’s determined to escape. He eventually does with Kizzy's help, but is quickly caught and forced to reveal Kizzy's role in his escape. This prompts Dr. Reynolds to send Kizzy away to his rough-hewn cock-breeder neighbor Tom Moore.

1824: Kizzy's son George has become skilled at cock-fighting earing him the name “Chicken George”. Courted by carriage driver Sam Bennett, Kizzy gets a chance to return to the plantation where she was born. There she learns her father has died and her mother has been sold off. While at Kunta's grave, his haunting words prompt her to call off her marriage. 1841: Promoted to Tom Moore’s head trainer, Chicken George grows in reputation and hopes to earn enough to free himself and his family. But a loss in the ring results in George being sent to England to pay off a debt.