Twelve Years A Slave Summary

A 33-year-old African American man, residing in Saratoga, New York, in 1841, lives a content life with his wife and three cherished children. Possessing a multitude of skills, including carpentry and violin playing, he enjoys a relatively peaceful existence. His father was once a slave, but was freed by a lawyer who remains a close friend of the family. This tranquil existence is shattered when two men invite him to join their traveling circus as a violinist, resulting in his awakening in a dark cell, shackled and ill, in Washington D.C.

The man finds himself in the hands of a ruthless slave trader named James Burch, who sells him and several others to New Orleans. Now known as "Platt," he becomes the property of a genteel plantation owner named William Ford. However, due to financial difficulties, Ford is forced to sell him to a hot-headed and violent carpenter. After managing to evade several attempts on his life by the carpenter, he is sold once again to the merciless Edward Epps, who regularly abuses his slaves and treats them as mere objects of entertainment.

For 10 years, he endures inhumane treatment at the hands of Epps and his wife, constantly dreaming of his freedom. His only comfort is his beloved violin, which provides him with occasional reprieve. His hopes of liberation are rekindled when he meets an abolitionist carpenter named Bass, working on Epps's property. After sharing his true identity and predicament with Bass, he entrusts him with the task of sending a letter to his friends in Saratoga. This letter reaches his wife, who enlists the help of the lawyer who had originally freed his father. On January 3, the man is finally freed and returns to Saratoga, reuniting with his wife and children in a heartfelt reunion.