In 1870, a census is conducted in the state of Ohio. The census-taker asks questions of an old woman named Mariam Priscilla Grace, who was born in 1758—or even earlier. In answering, the old woman recalls her life as a former slave: from her family gates and an unutterable name, to her longing for freedom—something she passed on to her children. “Ten Lives of Mariam” is an engaging story of a woman known as the “African witch,” her journey across the ocean, and the invaluable experience she gained after being separated from her homeland.