It's 1960. Young activist, Nelson Mandela, rallies the people of South Africa to protest against the racial segregation of apartheid. In 1962 he is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, where he will spend the next 27 years, taken from his wife and children, as the fight for freedom sweeps his country. Infused with the rhythms of South Africa, this soaring new musical tells the extraordinary story of a man who changed the course of modern history—the sacrifices he made as a husband and father, and the global movement that inspired him and his comrades to keep fighting.

Ray arrives late to his band practice, beaten to a bloody mess as tension rises between him and his band mates.