The year is 1936. America has fast become one of the world's most powerful nations on the platform of freedom and equality for all people. On the other side of the Atlantic, Hitler's Third Reich is steadily taking hold, systematically setting the stage for Aryan supremacy. Meanwhile, Joe Louis (Leonard Roberts) an up-and-coming prizefighter from Harlem, New York fights for his slice of the American dream: to become boxing's heavyweight champion. Standing in his way is German champ, Max Schmeling (Til Schweiger). Despite Schmeling's liberal and pacifist views, he is heralded by the Nazis as the perfect specimen of the perfect race. The world watched as their bouts took on epic proportions, but outside of public view, they forged a friendship that would transcend enemy lines.