Plot summary

In 1868, within the Ruby Mountains, Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) roasts an animal over an open fire. Suddenly, gunshots ring out with one striking his left arm. He grabs what he can and races down the mountain. His attackers emerge from their cover to inspect his campsite. Colonel Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson), a former Confederate officer, is accompanied by Pope (Robert Baker), Hayes (Michael Wincott), Parsons (Ed Lauter) and the Kid (John Robinson); who are all engaged in a bounty operation to apprehend him.Following the removal of the bullet from his arm at a secluded locale, Gideon leaves an open fire burning, which attracts the posse. He ends up killing Pope with his hunting knife and then ventures out again into the wilderness. He attempts to steal a horse but is caught by a young woman named Charlotte (Shannon Zeller) who helps him after she realizes he is injured. She redresses his wound, and her family lets him sleep overnight in their farmhouse. He later offers to buy their horse and leaves before daybreak. As the group of men approach Gideon's trail, he lays an ambush using a bear trap which impales the Kid, who is later shot by Carver in a mercy killing. Later, Parsons decides to abandon the men following the discovery of a dead armed bank robber (James Jordan), whom Gideon had killed earlier in an act of self-defense and whose bounty money exceeded that of Gideon's. As Parsons is preparing to load the dead body to take to Carson City for the reward money, Carver shoots the horse - which he declares is his, leaving Parsons to walk the 30 miles back to town carrying the body.Encountering a railroad under construction, Gideon hitches his horse and steals some food. The foreman recognizes the stolen horse and detains Gideon. Carver and his remaining man, Hayes, come upon the railroad site and search for Gideon. Meanwhile, Gideon escapes from custody and makes off with another horse. As Carver and Hayes draw within sight of Gideon, Gideon's horse can no longer take the strain of the heat and collapses. Gideon euthanize the horse with his knife. When Carver and Hayes finally reach the horse's carcass, Hayes dismounts and marvels at what type of an animal would disembowel the creature. Suddenly, Gideon leaps out from the horse's belly, where he had been hiding, and grabs Hayes threatening to kill him if Carver doesn't give up his gun. Carver instead decides to shoot Hayes with his last bullet. While confronting each other, Carver and Gideon recall the events that put them at odds.After the American Civil War had concluded, Gideon was ordered to track down former Confederate officers. When he arrived in Seraphim Falls at Carver's home to interrogate him, Carver was out in a nearby field. To coerce Carver's wife (Angie Harmon) into revealing his whereabouts, and believing that their house was empty, Gideon ordered their barn to be set on fire. The blaze quickly spread to their main residence, as Carver emerged from the cropland. While the soldiers detained him, his wife and son ran inside the house to save their infant child who was still in a bedroom. Trapped by the flames, all three perished. Gideon, racked with guilt over the tragedy, is seen dropping his gun belt and walking away from his men.The two men fight, but Gideon eventually gets the better of Carver. He points him in the direction of a town and tells Carver that he will get nothing but trouble if he continues his pursuit. Gideon takes the horses ridden by Carver and Hayes and sets off, deeper into the countryside. When Carver catches up to Gideon at a future point in time, both men are on the brink of exhaustion. They confront each other again, with their pistols. Gideon shoots Carver in the side, but instead of killing him, he offers himself to Carver. Carver decides not to shoot him and throws his pistol aside.Gideon helps Carver to his feet and the two men walk into the distance away from one another. In a final scene, Gideon takes his knife, which he has used throughout the film, and throws it into the ground.