Profile of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. The film looks at Fitzgerald's 50-year career from her winning turn at the Harlem Apollo's amateur night in 1934, through her rise as the definitive exponent of scat singing, her celebrated Songbook albums and triumphant stage career which continued almost up until her death in 1996. Features archive footage of Ella in full flight, alongside interviews with her closest friends and collaborators.