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Line of Events
Elwood Curtis’ college dreams are dashed on a two-lane highway in Florida. He must bear the brunt of an innocent mistake and is banished to the underworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal correctional facility deep in the Jim Crow South. He meets another inmate, a skilled gymnast. The two black teenagers form an alliance: Turner offers basic survival advice, Elwood clings to his optimistic outlook. Against the backdrop of the burgeoning civil rights movement, Elwood and Turner’s lives seem a far cry from the brilliant oratory of the Rev. Martin Luther King. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood tries to maintain his humanity, awakening a new vision in Turner.