Two people meet, fall in love, marry, and raise a family. A very typical story in America. But how did they come to meet in this certain place? Where did their parents come from? What is their family history? They, like most Americans, trace their roots to other countries and key moments in history. Many Americans emigrated because they were seeking a better life, but the experience of settling in a new land was not an easy one. For some, the road to America was paved with strife, tribulations, suffering, and loss. In spite of their struggle, these people created the big melting pot of cultures mixing with each other and creating opportunity for the generations that followed. A Rocky Road to America tells these stories through the ancestral lineage of the Carr and Knight families. At a family gathering on the Fourth of July, Tim and Kathy each begin to learn their family history that extends back 500 years with connections to Jamestown settlers, Pocahontas, and the Potato Famine in Ireland, among other well-known moments in history. The steely determination and fierce loyalties of their ancestors to their families enabled them to survive and thrive, and ultimately bring together Tim and Kathy in a Detroit suburb in the 1980s. As time passes, so does the history of great nations like Ireland, England, Scotland and the fledgling United States. A Rocky Road to America explores the raw emotions of dealing with the obstacles of life at these various times in history.