Part 1: From life to letters. Antecedents in black and white ; Down the river, up the river ; Sweet freedom ; The road to reform ; Narrative of a life, life of a narrative

Part 2: England. London, the biggest stage ; "Almost an Englishman"

Part 3: Civil War. "Upon an experimental voyage" ; The black man at war

Part 4: "The world does move ". "Help me to find my people" ; My Southern home, revisited.