Set against the backdrop of the South African Truth and Reconciliation hearings, In My Country charts the depths of pain and suffering and the redeeming power of forgiveness and love. Washington Post journalist Langston Whitfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is skeptical about the process, feeling that it is just a way for the perpetrators to escape unscathed. Anna Malan (Juliette Binoche), an Afrikaaner poet and journalist, is enthusiastic, with great hopes of seeing her country healed. Instantly at odds over their opposing views, Langston and Anna are eventually drawn closer through the shared experience of listening to the moving and painful testimony. As Langston becomes increasingly drawn into Anna's world and her passion for the country of her birth, they both confront difficult questions.