The book opens with a Kentucky farm

The book opens with a Kentucky farmer named
Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because
of debts. Even though he and his wife (Emily
Shelby) believe that they have a benevolent
relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides to
raise the needed funds by selling two of them—
Uncle Tom, a middle-aged man with a wife and
children, and Harry, the son of Emily Shelby’s
maid Eliza—to a slave trader. Emily Shelby hates
the idea of doing this because she had promised
her maid that her child would never be sold;
Emily's son, George Shelby, hates to see Tom go
because he sees the old man as his friend and
mentor.
When Eliza overhears Mr. and Mrs. Shelby
discussing plans to sell Tom and Harry, Eliza
determines to run away with her son. The novel
states that Eliza made this decision not because
of physical cruelty, but by her fear of losing her
only surviving child (she had already lost two
children due to miscarriage). Eliza departs that
night, leaving a note of apology to her mistress.
While all of this is happening, Uncle Tom is sold
and placed on a riverboat, which sets sail down
the Mississippi River. While onboard, Tom meets
and befriends a young white girl named Eva.
When Eva falls into the river, Tom saves her. In
gratitude, Eva's father, Augustine St. Clare, buys
Tom from the slave trader and takes him with the
family to their home in New Orleans. During this
time, Tom and Eva begin to relate to one another