Con artists try to trick an old man out of his life savings.

Singer Jimmy Williams' father Joe is a chemist who recently lost his job to George Elliott. Since then, Joe has been investigating the "Adam and Even" brand of canned goods sold in Harlem.

Film producer Winston L. Jaune gives his brother J. Lee a job in his company. J. Lee promptly steals company funds, spends lavishly in cabarets, at wild parties, and on women putting the company in financial difficulties.

A movie producer offers a nightclub singer a role in his latest film, but all he really wants to do is bed her. She knows, but accepts anyway. Meanwhile, a patron at the club gets a note saying that she'll soon get another note, and that she will be killed ten minutes after that.

A young woman plans to marry, but her mother and brother--a lawyer--don't like her prospective husband and scheme to prevent the marriage.

A young Southern college student falls for the charms of a female nightclub owner while on summer break in Chicago - and soon enough meets her club co-owner boyfriend and his gangster pals.

A confident and unscrupulous minister begins a 'back to Africa' movement, proclaiming himself Emperor of the United States of Africa.

Helen Ware, an artist's model, known as the Brown Venus is sad, discouraged and unhappy. When her men friends learn that she often poses nude, they try to become unduly "friendly" or just shun her, with the result that a beautiful girl with the figure of a Goddess finds herself without a lover. In desperation, she goes to a notorious night club and is later seen about to start on the downward trail.

Oscar Micheaux, Film Pioneer is one of seven films in the "Were You There" series produced by Carol Lawrence (the others include The Black West, The Cotton Club, The Facts of Life, Portrait of Two Artists, Sports Profile, and When the Animals Talked). This film's story revolves around Bee Freeman's (the Sepia Mae West) and Lorenzo Tucker's (the black Valentino) recollections of their relationships with Micheaux and their perceptions of his character. Danny Glover plays the role of Oscar Micheaux, Richard H arder is shown as the young Lorenzo Tucker, and Janice Morgan portrays the vamp that was Bee Freeman in Shuffle Along.