The motion picture is set after the conclusion of the American Civil War. Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) is hiding in the American Rockies, contemplating a fire. A shot pierces the stillness and hits Gideon, who is then shuddered in pain and quickly runs away, followed by his pursuers. Soon the audience finds out why: Gideon is a required man. Colonel Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson), a Confederate representative, has hired several mountain men to exterminate Gideon to avenge a dreadful mistake that he once committed. From the snowy peaks, the tale descends into the savannahs - packed of rapacious traders, vicious railway foremen and overly-welcoming Christian missionaries - and moves lastly into the desert, where the two men challenge each other in the face of Mother Nature at her harshest, with bizarre visitations to guide them to their ultimate war of words