As Haley and Uncle Tom journey to Washington, D.C., Haley comes across a notice for a slave auction and decides to purchase more workers to sell in the South. While there, he looks over the enslaved individuals and purchases a young boy named Albert, separating him from his mother, Aunt Hagar. The desperate older woman pleads with Haley, begging him not to separate her from her son; callous as always, Haley refuses, arguing that he has no desire to waste money on her, as she is no more than "an old rack o' bones." 

The trader then sets sail on a riverboat, heading further south with his ever-expanding group of enslaved people. Their presence invites curious looks and condescending comments as the white passengers on board discuss the nature of slavery.

On the boat, Haley purchases a woman named Lucy and her child. Another passenger expresses interest in purchasing the child and begins negotiating with Haley. The trader agrees to sell the child, but only once they reach their destination so that he can leave with the child before Lucy realizes. However, when Lucy finds out that her child has been sold and is no longer on the boat, she jumps into the water and dies.