In the town, preacher and mayor Abraham Brant – the man who killed Kingston's father in a ”Helena Duel” knife fight in 1866 – is keeping all the townsfolk in some kind of fearful grip.

Brant offers him the role of town sheriff, which the newcomer hesitantly accepts, hoping the position will cover him long enough to carry out his real investigation.

While Kingston explores the town and investigates the nearby Rio Grande for bodies, Brant manipulates a weak-spirited Marisol into becoming dependent on him.

Kingston eventually learns Brant's secret - that he is abducting Mexicans to serve as prey for rich foreigners to hunt.

Kingston escapes, and frees a number of captured Mexicans from the remote prison compound, including Maria Calderon.

On July 1, it was announced that Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson would be starring in the lead roles of David Kingston and Abraham Brant, with the film then titled By Way of Helena.

[4] On September 5, William Hurt and Alice Braga joined the cast, and WestEnd Films was attached as handling international sales.