Who we are is not always who we must be to survive. In 1898, Big Henry Stevens leads hundreds of African-American coal miners and their families from Alabama to Illinois. When they arrive, the miners learn the mine owners lied to them. Instead of good pay for honest work, they were strikebreakers crossing picket lines. With no money and nowhere to go, they were stuck. Meanwhile, the fledgling United Mine Workers of America was prepared to do whatever was necessary to stop the unsuspecting miners-including murder. Sundown Town is based on the true story of the resultant war between these two groups who simply wanted what they felt best for their families and friends.