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In the 1930s, a young black man, Jesse Owens (Stephen James) is running through the streets of Cleveland, Ohio. He runs through the slums and into a rundown neighborhood home. He gets to packing his bags as he is getting ready to move out of his parents' home. He hunts around for his only shirt while his mom, proud of her first boy going off to college, finishes tailoring a nice suit coat for him. Jesse is afraid it is too expensive, but she insists and says he was meant to do great things. He says goodbye to his dad and gives him an envelope with $2.
In a large college stadium, a track race is going on, and things aren't looking so great for coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis). Ohio State loses the meet and radio commentators are wondering if coach Snyder is concerned about his job because he hasn't had any national wins while at Ohio State. Larry goes to his office on campus, upset and cranky, and his secretary comes in with his day's appointments and files of "fresh blood" - all potential track stars and Jesse Owens is among the files.
Jesse's next stop before getting on the bus to Ohio State is to see his girlfriend, Ruth (Shanice Banton), and their little girl. Ruth works at a salon and Jesse's appearance warrants a stern look from her boss. Jesse says things are going to be better, and he's going to come back and marry Ruth. Jesse's friend, Dave (Eli Goree), also headed to Ohio State, tells Jesse to hurry and get on the bus. Jesse says goodbye and gets on the bus (in the colored section), and they are off.
At the school, Dave and Jesse are jogging on the track while Larry times him. After their workout, Dave and Jesse head to the locker room and are about to hit the shower when the all-white football team walks in. They toss around racial slurs and force Dave and Jesse to let the football team shower first. Jesse, not wanting to get in trouble, accepts this as his lot, though Dave is upset. While they are waiting, a young man tells Jesse that coach Larry wants to see him. Sweaty and gross, and unable to shower, Jesse throws on his clothes and heads to Larry's office.
At the office, Larry greets him, but Jesse won't look him in the eye. Jesse is also surprised when Larry invites him to sit in the chair opposite him. After some small talk about past victories coach, Larry asks if Jesse can work and that he's got to work on his manners because he should be looking a man in the eye when he's talking to them. Jesse says he can work, and his records should speak to that. Larry says records don't mean shit because some kid will come along and take those records away from you. Medals are what count. Jesse notices a picture of an Olympic team and asks if it is indeed. Larry says yes, it is the Olympic track team from Paris, 1924. But Larry wasn't there. He asks if Jesse will go to Berlin in 1936 for the Summer Olympic Games. Jesse wants to, and coach says that he needs commitment: when not in class Jesse is to be on the track. "You belong to me."
Out on the track, the coaches are watching the "fresh blood" and coach Larry says Jesse is good. They time him on the 100-meter dash and, while his starting position is crap, he's fast (9. something seconds). The coaches are impressed.
In New York City, the US Olympic Committee is having a meeting. They are concerned about the rumors coming out of Germany under the Nazi government and are debating whether or not to boycott the 1936 games in Berlin. They eventually agree to send a delegate to Berlin to assess the situation and make sure the Nazis play fair. They decide to send Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons), who is somewhat reluctant but wants to move forward with the games and doesn't put a lot of stock into the rumors about the Germans and their "Jewish problem" and racial discrimination.
Back at Ohio State, Jesse is training hard. In a letter back to Ruth he talks about a job he found at a fill station, and how hard it is to keep up with practice, work, and school, but he's doing it. He's sent $2 and talks about having applied for a marriage license.
Coach catches up with Jesse and is frustrated that he's been missing practice. Jesse explains that he's got to work his job to take care of his baby girl. Larry is surprised at the news. "You didn't tell me you had a daughter." "You didn't ask."
In Berlin, Avery is escorted to the stadium, currently under construction, and sees Jews being tossed from their homes, loaded onto trucks, and signs everywhere that say "Germans defend yourself" and other anti-semitic propaganda. At the sports club, he meets Dr. Joseph Goebbels (Barnaby Metschurat), a couple of other German Olympics officials, and Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten). Ms. Riefenstahl was handpicked by the Fuhrer to film the proceedings at the Olympics (the first time it will have been recorded, it was a big deal). Avery starts in on what the Olympics would look like without American involvement, and the Nazis are very keen on appeasing the Americans. It isn't a problem with facilities, but with politics. Avery accuses them of using the Olympics to sell their nasty ideas about Jews and non-Aryan races. A deal is struck, the press will be reigned in, anti-Jew signs taken down, and they'll stop shipping people out of their homes.
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