ASSAULT AT WEST POINT is the powerful story of the court-martial of one of the first African American cadets to be admitted to the most prestigious military institution in the United States, West Point Military Academy.

In 1881, in an era of crude racial discrimination, Whittaker (Gilliam) is constantly harassed and ridiculed by officers and his fellow cadets. When he is found tied to his bed, brutally abused and left for dead, he is accused by the Academy of staging his own assault to avoid failing an exam.

Determined to defend his honour, Whittaker and his lawyers (Jackson and Waterston) discover they are fighting a prejudiced system determined to hide the shocking truth at all odds.