In 1983, noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates remembers learning that a 14-year old boy was murdered in the corridor of his Baltimore middle school. Revisiting the case as an adult, he learns the truth about the three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment. WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS explores the collateral damage the handling of this case had on the community, the wrongfully accused, and the young witnesses pressured to betray them.