This documentary film chronicles the history of the Cherokee Nation during forced removal from their homeland beginning May 26, 1838 through the re-establishment of civilization in Indian Territory and a quest to regain tribal sovereignty taken to the US Supreme Court. Known today as "The Trail of Tears," Cherokee called it "The trail where they cried" as more than 4,000 citizens died of disease and starvation when federal troops forced thousands of Cherokee from their ancestral homes in Southeastern United States toward Indian Territory. See the internal debate about leaving homelands, the struggle and hardship they faced, and the rebuilding of Cherokee civilization culminating in a landmark victory in the courts that has sustained the Cherokee for generations.