As James and the men approach the women’s quarters, James decides on a desperate escape plan. He insists that Sadie and Lizzie are inside and says they must take everyone with them. After confirming there is both a road and a path leading north, James asks Morris to be ready to overpower the overseer when the distraction begins.

James slips to a dry cornfield, checks the wind, and sets the field on fire with a match. The blaze spreads quickly, filling the night with smoke and drawing the women from the house in alarm. When James returns, Morris has already knocked the overseer unconscious and taken his whip, clearing one immediate threat.

In the confusion, James sees Sadie standing in the doorway of a small shack and recognizes her at once. The two confirm each other’s identity and embrace. Lizzie then comes out, stunned, and James pulls his daughter close, completing the reunion that has driven his actions.

James orders the men to get everyone moving north and to take whatever food they can carry. The fire grows stronger, and the wind shifts so that embers begin blowing toward the big house. An old white man emerges with a shotgun, first horrified by the fire and then enraged when he realizes the enslaved people are fleeing instead of obeying him.

When the man points the shotgun and tries to stop them, James steps in front of him with his pistol. James declares himself an agent of justice and then shoots the man in the chest before the man can stop the escape. With the women screaming behind them and the fire raging, James, Sadie, Lizzie, and the others run north; James carries Lizzie as she repeatedly whispers, "Papa."