After being kidnapped from New York and sold into slavery, Solomon Northup uses his skills and carefully placed trust to survive and seek a way back to his family.
- Scenes 1–29
Solomon lives freely in Saratoga as a husband, father, worker, and musician.
- Scenes 30–65
Kidnapped and held under the imposed name Platt, Solomon must preserve his life and identity.
- Scenes 66–123
He enters plantation life under Ford, passes through Tibeats’s violence and the near-lynching, and is transferred to Epps.
- Scene 124
Solomon is transferred to Epps’s plantation and placed among Patsey and the enslaved workers, opening the harsher final plantation phase.
- Just before
- Scene 170
Solomon meets the fugitive Celeste in the swamp, shares his food, and hears her plan to live freely beyond the reach of patrollers and dogs.
- Scene 171
Solomon sneaks into the plantation storehouse and steals a small amount of food for Celeste.
- Scene 172
Solomon gives Celeste the food and reveals his true name and plan to write to friends in New York; Celeste doubts the letter can be delivered and urges him to flee with her.
- Scene 173
This scene
