Based on a true story, ROSEWOOD takes place in a predominantly black Florida town in 1923. The town of Rosewood was destroyed by the residents of the neighboring town of Sumner, in which poor whites indulged their prejudice and envy, avenging an accusation that they knew was a lie. A white woman, seeking to hide her infidelity with an abusive man, blames her injuries on a black man, thereby providing an excuse for her townspeople to head for Rosewood with rifles and nooses. Ultimately, her lie engenders an unbelievable tragedy that is redeemed only by the heroism of those who endured it. At the same time, a stranger named Mann (has appeared in Rosewood and is put under suspicion. Mann is not a historical figure, but portrays a mighty savior whose ability to stand up for his people provides the only emotional solace amidst the film's relentlessly unjust carnage. All the whites were not evil, focusing especially on the real-life figure of John Wright, a white Rosewood storeowner who finds his conscience when the people he has come to know need his aid.