On June 22, 1839, at the end of the infamous Cherokee Trail of Tears, three of the tribe's distinguished leaders meet violent ends. John Ridge, his father, Major Ridge, and Elias Boudinot all die at the hands of their Cherokee brethren for breaking a mandate: death to anyone selling tribal land without approval--a law they themselves authored. This tragic revolt stems from a disturbing prejudice by the white establishment, for while the Cherokee people go to unequalled lengths in adopting and assimilating into white culture, they are repeatedly stripped of their homelands and their nationhood is challenged. And even though the U.S. Supreme Court declares the Cherokee an independent nation, President Andrew Jackson ignores that ruling and banishes the natives westward.