Born free of an Ojibwe father and an escaped-slave mother in Upper Canada, John 'Daddy' Hall fought in the war of 1812, was captured and sold into slavery. Thirteen years later he makes a daring escape and finds his way back to Canada.

Tucked between Griffintown and St. Henri in Montreal's Sud Ouest is Little Burgundy, home to a Black population led by Black men who worked in Canada's railway industry as sleeping car porters. They were the first Black trade union to organize in North America and were among the leaders in the struggle for civil rights.