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Elwood Curtis’ college dreams came crashing down a two-lane highway in Florida. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he is sentenced to the underworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal correctional facility deep in the Jim Crow South. He runs into another inmate, Turner, who has seen it all. The two black teenagers form an alliance: Turner dispenses basic survival advice, Elwood clings to his optimistic outlook. Against the backdrop of the growing Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence seems a far cry from the polished oratory of the Rev. Martin Luther King. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood strives to maintain his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner.
