Inspired by a true story about a black college graduate forced to serve probation after the 1965 Watts riots at an all-white seminary that wants black followers not leaders. Encouraged by the seminary president, Alan Beckett, to break the color line while Prof. Kate Allison, the former missionary, remains skeptical and aloof, Richard Kelly nears the breaking point when he meets Samuel, an elderly ex-alcoholic janitor who lives in the basement of his dormitory. As Samuel guides Richard through the trials of racism and the personal life haunts him, he undergoes a transformation that forces him to choose between his dreams and his destiny.