This eye-opening film documents the 2011 Conference on Human Trafficking and features the work of leading scholars, historians, lawyers, activists, and artists to generate a broad discussion of some of the themes as well as the fallacies and myths that afflict this troubling worldwide phenomenon. Organized by the Duke Center of African and African American Research, the conference looked at human trafficking in light of what is known about pre-20th-century Atlantic slave trade; its main purpose was to search for solutions and propose action.

This documentary tackles difficult questions including, what is human trafficking today? how do governmental policies fuel human trafficking? and what is the role of consumers in human trafficking? Author and activist Siddharth Kara defines slavery as an "economic crime... it is about maximizing profit by minimizing or eliminating the cost of labor" and historian Gunther Peck warns against the stereotypical representations of human trafficking. Robert Bach of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security addresses the phenomenon of modern slavery in the fashion districts of New York and Los Angeles and historian Cindy Hahamovitch of the College of William and Mary redefines "migrant workers" as a new caste and victims of human trafficking. Filmmakers Shohini Ghosh and David Feingold contribute to the conversation by recording the testimonies of human trafficking victims and Jamaican-Canadian visual artist Charles Campbell present his new exhibit "Transporter", a meditation on the Atlantic slave trade commissioned by the Conference on Human Trafficking. The film is presented by J. Lorand Matory and Michaeline A. Critchlow of the Center of African and African American Research.