Set in 1855 Missouri, Celia follows an enslaved woman living on the Newsom plantation who endures ongoing abuse at the hands of her enslaver, Robert Newsom. Pregnant and determined to protect her children and reclaim control over her body and spirit, Celia turns to ancestral rituals passed down from her mother.

When Robert attempts to assault her once again, Celia fights back and kills him. Fearing the brutal consequences faced by enslaved people accused of killing their masters, she uses both fire and spiritual practices to conceal the crime. As suspicion grows and the plantation descends into tension, Celia takes drastic measures to eliminate anyone who could expose the truth.

With the help of a few fellow enslaved people, Celia destroys the remaining evidence, creating a fleeting moment of freedom on the plantation. When her lover George returns after attempting to escape, they reunite in a fragile sense of liberation—aware that their freedom is temporary, but real for the moment.

Celia is a powerful story of resistance, survival, and reclaiming agency in the face of unimaginable oppression.