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In 1841, Solomon Northup (Chiwitel Ejiofor) is a free negro living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs, New York. He makes his living as a skilled carpenter and fiddle player. One day he is lured by a pair of men (Scoot McNairy and Taran Killam) into a lucrative touring gig with a circus. After a night drinking with the two men, Northup awakens to find himself chained to a floor, realizing he has been drugged and will be sold into slavery.
Northup is shipped to New Orleans, where he is called "Platt", the identity of a runaway slave from Georgia. He is beaten to force him to conceal his identity as a free man and keep the name Platt, and is ultimately purchased by plantation owner William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch). Enduring his new life, Northup stays on good terms with Ford, who turns out to be a relatively benevolent master; Northup assists him by engineering a waterway for transporting logs swiftly and cost-effectively downstream. Ford presents him with a violin in gratitude. Racist carpenter John Tibeats (Paul Dano) immediately resents Northup, and begins verbally harassing him.
Eventually the tensions between Tibeats and Northup reach a boiling point, and Tibeats attempts to beat him and he fights back. In retaliation, Tibeats and his friends try to lynch Northup, leading to Ford's selling Northup away, to protect him from Tibeats, to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), a cruel planter who believes his right to abuse his slaves is biblically sanctioned. Before being sent to Epps, Northup attempts to reason with Ford, stating he is in fact a free man. Ford states that he cannot hear it and responds "he has a debt to pay" on Northup's purchase price. Ford also tells him that he thinks Northup is a good person, but it wouldn't do him any good.
Northup's first task at the Epps plantation is to pick cotton. Everyone is expected to pick at least 200 pounds everyday, or be beaten. A young female slave named Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), however, picks over 500 pounds daily. Epps' wife (Sarah Paulson) is extremely envious of the attention Epps lavished on Patsey and physically abuses her, but his attentions also include repeated rape of the slave girl.
Epps decides that a recent outbreak of cotton worm in the fields is a plague sent by God and brought to his plantation by his new slaves. He leases them to a neighboring plantation for the season while his crops recover, but warns them not to bring any more plagues onto his friend's property. While there, Northup gains the favor of the plantation's owner, who asks him to play the fiddle at his friends' wedding anniversary celebration.
When Northup returns to the Epps plantation, he attempts to use these earnings to pay a white field hand and former overseer (Garret Dillahunt) to mail a letter to his friends in New York. The field hand agrees to deliver the letter and takes the money, but betrays Northup to Epps. Northup is narrowly able to convince Epps that the story is a lie. Northup then tearfully burns the letter, which represented his only hope of freedom.
Patsey's abuse progressively worsens as Epps continues to force himself on her. Patsey wants to kill herself, asking Northup to help her do it, which Northup rejects. One day, Epps becomes enraged after discovering Patsey missing from his plantation. When she returns, she reveals she was only gone to obtain a bar of soap; however, he orders her stripped and tied to a post. Egged on by his wife, Epps forces Northup to whip Patsey. Northup reluctantly obeys, but Epps eventually takes the whip away from Northup, savagely lashing her.
As Patsey heals, Northup begins working on the construction of a pavilion with a Canadian laborer named Bass (Brad Pitt). Bass earns Epps' displeasure by expressing his opposition to slavery, but this convinces Northup to confide in Bass about his life and kidnapping. Once again, Northup asks for help in getting a letter to Saratoga Springs. Bass, risking his life, agrees to do so.
While working in the fields to break dirt for planting, Northup is called out by the local sheriff, who arrives in a carriage with another man. Inquiring about Northup's past life, the sheriff asks a series of questions to match him to the facts of his life in New York. Northup recognizes the sheriff's companion as a shopkeeper he knows from Saratoga and realizes the man has come to free him; the two embrace. Though Epps resists and Patsey is distraught, Northup leaves immediately. After being enslaved for 12 years, Northup is restored to freedom and returned to his family. Endnotes recount the inability of Northup and his legal counsel to prosecute the men responsible for his being sold into slavery, as well as the mystery surrounding details of his death and burial.
Northup is shipped to New Orleans, where he is called "Platt", the identity of a runaway slave from Georgia. He is beaten to force him to conceal his identity as a free man and keep the name Platt, and is ultimately purchased by plantation owner William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch). Enduring his new life, Northup stays on good terms with Ford, who turns out to be a relatively benevolent master; Northup assists him by engineering a waterway for transporting logs swiftly and cost-effectively downstream. Ford presents him with a violin in gratitude. Racist carpenter John Tibeats (Paul Dano) immediately resents Northup, and begins verbally harassing him.
Eventually the tensions between Tibeats and Northup reach a boiling point, and Tibeats attempts to beat him and he fights back. In retaliation, Tibeats and his friends try to lynch Northup, leading to Ford's selling Northup away, to protect him from Tibeats, to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), a cruel planter who believes his right to abuse his slaves is biblically sanctioned. Before being sent to Epps, Northup attempts to reason with Ford, stating he is in fact a free man. Ford states that he cannot hear it and responds "he has a debt to pay" on Northup's purchase price. Ford also tells him that he thinks Northup is a good person, but it wouldn't do him any good.
Northup's first task at the Epps plantation is to pick cotton. Everyone is expected to pick at least 200 pounds everyday, or be beaten. A young female slave named Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), however, picks over 500 pounds daily. Epps' wife (Sarah Paulson) is extremely envious of the attention Epps lavished on Patsey and physically abuses her, but his attentions also include repeated rape of the slave girl.
Epps decides that a recent outbreak of cotton worm in the fields is a plague sent by God and brought to his plantation by his new slaves. He leases them to a neighboring plantation for the season while his crops recover, but warns them not to bring any more plagues onto his friend's property. While there, Northup gains the favor of the plantation's owner, who asks him to play the fiddle at his friends' wedding anniversary celebration.
When Northup returns to the Epps plantation, he attempts to use these earnings to pay a white field hand and former overseer (Garret Dillahunt) to mail a letter to his friends in New York. The field hand agrees to deliver the letter and takes the money, but betrays Northup to Epps. Northup is narrowly able to convince Epps that the story is a lie. Northup then tearfully burns the letter, which represented his only hope of freedom.
Patsey's abuse progressively worsens as Epps continues to force himself on her. Patsey wants to kill herself, asking Northup to help her do it, which Northup rejects. One day, Epps becomes enraged after discovering Patsey missing from his plantation. When she returns, she reveals she was only gone to obtain a bar of soap; however, he orders her stripped and tied to a post. Egged on by his wife, Epps forces Northup to whip Patsey. Northup reluctantly obeys, but Epps eventually takes the whip away from Northup, savagely lashing her.
As Patsey heals, Northup begins working on the construction of a pavilion with a Canadian laborer named Bass (Brad Pitt). Bass earns Epps' displeasure by expressing his opposition to slavery, but this convinces Northup to confide in Bass about his life and kidnapping. Once again, Northup asks for help in getting a letter to Saratoga Springs. Bass, risking his life, agrees to do so.
While working in the fields to break dirt for planting, Northup is called out by the local sheriff, who arrives in a carriage with another man. Inquiring about Northup's past life, the sheriff asks a series of questions to match him to the facts of his life in New York. Northup recognizes the sheriff's companion as a shopkeeper he knows from Saratoga and realizes the man has come to free him; the two embrace. Though Epps resists and Patsey is distraught, Northup leaves immediately. After being enslaved for 12 years, Northup is restored to freedom and returned to his family. Endnotes recount the inability of Northup and his legal counsel to prosecute the men responsible for his being sold into slavery, as well as the mystery surrounding details of his death and burial.
