Taking Root tells the story of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, who led a movement in her native Kenya to safeguard the environment. Maathai became the first woman to both earn a Ph.D. and head a university department in that country. She came to international attention as founder of the Green Belt Movement, which helps restore forests while paying women to plant trees. Through the group, she has helped women plant more than 30 million trees across Africa, and has taken courageous stands for democracy and womens rights.