Coalhouse realizes that Sarah is the love of his life and comes to New Rochelle in search of her. When he asks a group of firemen for directions, they call him a racist slur, but Coalhouse doesn’t engage with them. Coalhouse finds Mother’s house, but Sarah isn’t ready to see him. He returns to Mother’s house every Sunday for five months to try and win Sarah over, striking up a friendship with Mother and her family.   

 

Meanwhile, waves of immigrants are coming through Ellis Island and Tateh and his daughter are among them. He’s optimistic about the American Dream and hopes to work as an artist, but after months of struggling, he becomes disillusioned. Tateh's search for work takes him and his daughter from New York City to Massachusetts, where he gets caught up in the turmoil of the labor movement. When protests turn violent, they get on a train for Philadelphia and Tateh sells a piece of his art to the conductor.  

 

Sarah has finally agreed to see Coalhouse and they take a day trip in Coalhouse’s Model T car. As they’re returning from the trip, the road is blocked by the firemen who had previously used racist slurs against Coalhouse. The firemen say they’re going to charge him $25 to pass, which would be the equivalent of $825 today. Coalhouse goes to look for a police officer for help. While he’s gone, the firemen destroy his car. 

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Coalhouse believes he can get justice through the legal system, but when he gets no help, he becomes increasingly desperate. Coalhouse decides to take justice into his own hands. He shoots three firemen and he issues demands: his car needs to be returned in its original condition and the racist fire chief must be turned over to him.

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Mother and her husband have been at odds over Coalhouse’s actions, and the family decides to go to Atlantic City. There, Mother and Tateh cross paths. After struggling so long to find work, Tateh has finally gained success as a movie director. He and Mother begin spending time together. 

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Back in New York City, Coalhouse and his group of supporters have taken over J.P. Morgan’s library full of expensive art and manuscripts and threaten to blow it up. Mother’s husband and Booker T. Washington – a pioneering Black leader and educator - try to negotiate with him, promising that if he agrees to surrender, he will get a fair trial. As the musical comes to an end, Coalhouse grapples with the legacy he wants to leave, how to fight for change and justice, and how much faith he can put in the American Dream.