A magnificent work that reimagines the turbulent and triumphant early years of Ella Fitzgerald, arguably the greatest singer of the twentieth century. When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.