In 1748, a trade ship captained by John Newton (Bernhard Forcher) sailed from Africa to America with a full cargo of slaves. 100 years on, another slave, Samuel Woodward (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his family manage to escape from a Virginian plantation. As they embark on their long journey to find safety in Canada, they find themselves being chased by a notorious slave hunter. Unsure of how to get his family to safety, Samuel comes across a secret network, who are able to help them on their journey. Hunted down and forced to decide between revenge or freedom, his actions are inspired upon discovering his grandfather was on the very same ship, 100 years prior.