The Learning Tree

Newt Winger is an African-American teenager living in rural Kansas in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He generally confronts the prejudices of the era with pride and an even temper, unlike his hot-headed friend Marcus Savage. As circumstances slowly pull Newt and Marcus further apart, Newt witnesses a murder - one committed by Marcus' father Booker. When Newt's decision to come forward as a witness leads to Booker's death, Marcus ambushes and confronts Newt with a gun - resulting in a vicious fight. Newt wins the fight but spares Marcus' life, only to watch helplessly as Marcus is shot and killed by a racist sheriff.