In 1923, a black town in Florida was burned to the ground.

In 1982 a reporter visiting Levy County in Florida noticed a lack of black residents. So he asked questions…and a long-ago tragedy came to light. John Singleton directs Jon Voight and Ving Rhames in this powerful true drama. It is January 1, 1923 in Rosewood, but in this largely black town built on family, faith and hard work, hopes for the new year abruptly end. In a few harrowing nights, a white mob razes Rosewood into oblivion. As the rampage gains cataclysmic force, a heroic World War I veteran (Rhames) and a shopkeeper (Voight) join forces. Dozens of terrified women and children have fled into nearby swamps. Somehow they must be led to safety.