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.
- Just before
- Scene 65
At Freeman’s New Orleans market, Freeman imposes the name Platt on Solomon and carts the captives away; Ford’s purchase comes later.
- Scene 66
As Freeman’s cart crosses New Orleans, Solomon sees the scars, brands, shackles, and chain gangs that reveal slavery as an entrenched system.
- Scene 67
Freeman leads the newly arrived captives into his crowded, walled pen, where the other enslaved people look on despondently.
- Scene 68
This scene
