On an August evening in the summer of 1973 in Tarboro, North Carolina a young woman walking alone was offered a ride by three young men. All of their lives were changed dramatically as the ensuing events became national news and for a very brief period Tarboro became a center of a conversation on the Civil Rights movement and criminal justice in America. Nearly half a century later, is a town entitled to forget its place in history if that place is uncomfortable? Are individuals entitled to privacy even as an accurate retelling of history requires exposure? The Tarboro Three: Rape, Race, and Secrecy looks at the history of racism in a small town and how it has continued to inform life into the 21st century.