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.