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.
- Scene 30
Solomon is drugged and abducted in New York, abruptly ending his free life and beginning his captivity.
- Scene 31
After Solomon is drugged and abducted in scene 30, he wakes in chains and discovers that he has been stolen from his free life.
- Just before
- Scene 58
While working beside Solomon, Robert secretly slips a knife into the box of garbage.
- Scene 59
Solomon finds and hides the knife as he dumps the garbage overboard.
- Scene 60
The captain discovers Robert’s smallpox rash and orders lime spread in the hold, with the captives moved onto the deck and kept away from the crew.
- Scene 61
This scene
