The Amistad tells the true story of Cinqué, a Mende tribesman who leads an unprecedented uprising on a Spanish slave ship off the coast of Cuba in 1839. The slaves, later held prisoner in Connecticut, face a heated debate over their release, with abolitionists Theodore Joadson and Roger Baldwin taking up their cause. As they fight for freedom, they gain the support of former US President John Quincy Adams, who takes their case to the Supreme Court, sparking a landmark battle that ultimately secures their release.