In 1858, several male slaves are being transported across Texas by the Speck brothers. In their group is Django (Jamie Foxx), who has been sold away from his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). The Speck brothers encounter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist and, unbeknownst to them, bounty hunter. Schultz frees Django and kills one of the Speck brothers, leaving the other to be killed by the now-free slaves. Schultz reveals that he sought out Django to aid him in identifying the Brittle brothers, a trio of ruthless killers working for a plantation owner. Schultz confesses that his bounty hunting is opportunistic, but emphasizes to Django that he despises slavery. The two come to an agreement: in exchange for helping locate the Brittle brothers, Schultz will free Django from slavery and give him $75 and a horse. After they hunt down and kill the Brittle brothers, Schultz takes Django on as his associate in bounty hunting.
After collecting a number of bounties, Schultz and Django confirm that Broomhilda's current owner is Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a charming but brutal plantation owner. At Candie's plantation, Candyland, some of his male slaves are trained to fight to the death (called "Mandingo fighting"). After securing an invitation to Candyland, Schultz and Django devise a plan to reach Broomhilda by posing as potential purchasers of a Mandingo fighter. Upon their arrival, Schultz introduces Django as a free man and an expert on Mandingo fighting. Candie and Schultz quickly come to an agreement to purchase a Mandingo fighter for $12,000. Schultz also offers to purchase Broomhilda, claiming that he noticed that she speaks German and she would help alleviate his nostalgia for his mother tongue.
Schultz and Django's interest in Broomhilda raises the suspicions of Candie's house slave, Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). He correctly deduces that Django and Broomhilda know each other, and that the Mandingo sale is a ruse. He informs Candie, who, armed with this information, demands the $12,000 for Broomhilda, or he will kill her. Schultz agrees to buy her at this price in order to save her life, though later, enraged by Candie's humiliating behavior, Schultz kills Candie after the paperwork finalizing the sale and her freedom is completed. Schultz is shot and killed in turn by Candie's men, who then try to kill Django. Django shoots many of Candie's men, but surrenders when Stephen threatens to kill Broomhilda. As punishment, Stephen suggests Django be sent to a coal mine and worked to death, and Candie's sister Lara agrees. En route to the mine, Django persuades the slave drivers that he is a bounty hunter, showing them the handbill from his first kill as proof. Once they free him, he kills the slave drivers, takes their dynamite, and rides back to Candyland.
Returning to the plantation, Django discovers Schultz's body and takes the certificate of freedom that Candie signed for Broomhilda. When Candie's men, house servants, and sister return to the Candyland mansion from the funeral, Django reveals himself. He kills Candie's men and Lara, then frees the remaining slaves, except for Stephen, whom he shoots in the knees. Having set the dynamite inside the house, he lights the fuse and leaves. Django and Broomhilda watch from a distance as the house explodes and ride away as it burns down.
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