It's 1965, and although the Civil Rights Act is already in place, African-Americans and other minorities are still treated like second-class citizens in the town of Bogalusa, La., where a branch of the Ku Klux Klan still flourishes. But Marcus (Forest Whitaker) will no longer accept the rampant racism, especially after cops manhandle him for defending his daughter. Instead, he establishes a group that will protect his oppressed community.