Before MGM, the Oscars, and fame, Hattie McDaniel was a struggling stage actress and singer.

The daughter of a Union soldier, her family endeavored to find a better way of life in the aftermath of the Civil War. But injustice, poverty, and discrimination hindered them at every turn. Amid the strife and uncertainty of their youth, the McDaniel children would find salvation through performance.

As a black woman, strict societal standards regulated every facet of her life. But up on the stage, Hattie found the freedom to express her desires, anger, heartache, and laughter.