Oprah Winfrey stars in the true story of a woman's search for enlightenment about her mother-whose immortal cells would save millions of lives. Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line, known as HeLa. Told through the eyes of Lack's daughter Deborah (Winfrey) and journalist Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne), the film chronicles Deborah's search to learn about the mother she never knew, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks' cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs. Co-starring Renee Elise Goldsberry, Reg E. Cathey, Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Leslie Uggams and Reed Birney. Directed by George C. Wolfe; screenplay by George C. Wolfe and Alexander Woo; based on the book by Rebecca Skloot.