In 1873, at the age of 21, Jan Ernst Matzeliger immigrated to America, having left all that was familiar behind in South America. He arrived with hopes and dreams of a bright future in this new country. Though Jan had no formal training, he was highly skillful with tools and machinery, having worked in his father’s mechanic shops. But no one wanted to hire a Black immigrant who didn’t speak English. Yet Jan didn’t give up. He finally got jobs at shoe factories in Philadelphia and Lynn, Massachusetts, the "Shoe Capital of the World!" As Jan learned the process and craft of shoemaking, he envisioned a new machine, a lasting machine, that would help produce more shoes more efficiently. People scoffed at Jan’s idea, telling him it wasn’t possible. But he wasn’t deterred. Despite many obstacles, after years of planning, drawing, and experimenting, Jan is finally ready to demonstrate his lasting machine. And his invention will change the shoe industry forever.