1750. Kunta is born in Juffure, Gambia, West Africa, to parents Omoro and Binta Kinte, and grows to become an able goatherd while absorbing the cultural and religious traditions of his rural village. But the joy upon his successful return from ritual manhood training is tragically short-lived. He and others from nearby tribes are caught by invading foreigners and are eventually transferred to a ship bound for America.