In the Deep South before the American Civil War, Samuel and Isaiah are enslaved at the Halifax cotton plantation. Together with the other slaves, they have been brought forcefully from Africa to the Americas to work on plantations for profit.
They met when Isaiah was sold as a child and came to work on the Halifax plantation, known as Empty by its enslaved inhabitants. Samuel and Isaiah soon form a deep connection and fall in love. Their work in Empty’s barn has allowed them some measure of privacy and refuge from the rest of the plantation, but not for long.
Conflict comes when the plantation owner Paul, who is determined to use Samuel and Isaiah to breed more slaves, discovers the truth about their relationship. Their secret is revealed by Amos, a fellow slave who has begun preaching about the evils of homosexuality in a bid to turn the plantation against the two.
Other challenges include Ruth and Timothy, respectively the mistress and the son of the plantation owner. Manipulative and spiteful towards slaves, Ruth goes to the barn one night and tries to rape Samuel. She is offended when Samuel fails to react, and the ensuing punishment reveals the bleak reality: many on the plantation feel hostile towards Samuel and Isaiah. The few who remain sympathetic are Maggie, a fellow slave who works as a housekeeper and is a pseudo-mother-figure to the two boys, and Puah, a young teenage slave who has growing feelings for Samuel.
Tensions come to a head when Timothy returns from his education in the North and develops a sexual interest in Isaiah and Samuel. Isaiah is coerced into having sex with Timothy, and when Timothy calls for Samuel next, Samuel and Isaiah are determined to escape. A final confrontation with Paul, the plantation owner, convinces them that they are out of time. In an explosive ending, Samuel’s death propels the remaining slaves on Empty to rebel against the slave masters. Several characters’ fates are left open to interpretation.
