THE PERSIMMON TREE

The Persimmon Tree follows Darlene Shipley, a working-class Texas high school senior whose younger brother Duane is paralyzed during a football game, prompting her to chain herself to a persimmon tree outside her school for nine days to protest the exploitation of young athletes by the football system. Her act of defiance sparks a national movement that leads to groundbreaking safety legislation, transforms her into an advocate and engineer developing protective sports equipment, and ultimately challenges how society values young people's health versus athletic tradition and profit.