
In 1954 Brooks is paroled after serving 50 years, but can't adjust to civilian life and hangs himself.

This gets him away from the gang and out of manual labor, as he’s assigned to the prison library to assist elderly inmate Brooks as a front for his bookkeeping. In 1949 Andy starts to help the warden and prison guards with their taxes. For the first two years, Andy's targeted and abused by a gang of inmates known as The Sisters and their leader, Bogs. The murder of his wife and her lover takes place earlier that year. The Shawshank Redemption timeline begins in 1947 with the arrival of Andy Dufresne to Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine. Related: Shawshank Redemption's Title Is About Red, Not Andy - Theory Explained

Red acts as narrator throughout The Shawshank Redemption's timeline, keeping the audience informed as the years pass behind bars.

Over the years he befriends fellow Shawshank inmate Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) and becomes embroiled in a money-laundering scheme, all while holding onto hope of escape. The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) after he receives two life sentences for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite protesting his innocence.
