Solomon Northup left home in 1841 as a free black man. He wanted to go and work
in New York City for a few days, see the city, and then return home to his wife
and children. But this was the start of a terrible journey into kidnap and
slavery, which did not end for twelve years. His kidnappers took him in chains
to the cotton and sugar plantations of the southern states, far from his family.
Every day brought more cruelty and pain, but Solomon never stopped thinking of
ways to escape. This is the true story of his life.