In 1987, Dr. Ben Carson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) travels to Germany to meet a couple, Peter and Augusta Rausch, who have twins conjoined at the back of their heads. Dr. Carson believes he might be able to successfully separate them, but realizes that he also risks losing one or both of them. After explaining the risk, and despite that fact, Ben agrees to operate.

During the four months he spends researching and formulating a plan to increase his chances of a successful surgery, the movie flashes back to 1961, when the 11-year-old Ben Carson (Jaishon Fisher) is failing school. His single mother, who had but a third grade education, is distressed about her sons' academic failures and decides to do something about it. First she requires Ben and his older brother, Curtis, to learn the multiplication tables while she was away and, unbeknownst to them, checks into a mental institution to battle depression. When she returns, she realizes that her sons are watching too much TV and decides to restrict them to 2 shows a week and require them to read two books a week and write book reports, which frustrates the boys but then soon become hooked on a television quiz show. She hides from them the fact that she does not know how to read the reports.