This documentary series follows former US President Abraham Lincoln on his arduous journey to fulfill his ultimate desire to end slavery in the United States. Lincoln's understanding of slavery changed during his lifetime, moving from a tolerance or even an advocate to an adversary of slavery. Journalists, historians and other academics who have researched Lincoln's life and work provide interesting contemporary insights that nuance the story and the image surrounding it and place it more in the time of that time. Rare archival material has also emerged that supports these insights.