In the 1920s, a young African American boy named Cecil Gaines grows up working on a cotton plantation in the Deep South after witnessing the brutal murder of his father by the plantation's owner. This traumatic experience sets Cecil on a path of service, learning to be a house servant under the plantation's sympathetic caretaker. The skills he acquires there eventually lead him to seek a better life. Cecil leaves the oppressive South and, through perseverance and a meticulous attention to detail, lands a job at an elite Washington D.C. hotel where his exceptional skills and discreet professionalism catch the eye of a White House administrator.

Cecil's poise and hard work elevate him to the coveted position of butler at the White House, where he serves over decades. During his tenure, he has an intimate front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office as he serves under multiple American presidents. Cecil's tenure spans the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and other major events that shape both the nation and his own family's experiences. As the nation struggles through these tumultuous times, Cecil also faces challenges in his home life with his wife and his sons, who are deeply affected by the social and political upheaval that defines the 20th-century American experience.