His young son, Benjo (Thomas Curtis) wants to go with him, but Ben tells him to stay home, "to protect your mother"—his wife, Rebecca (Naomi Watts).

As Yoder is pulling a rescued sheep from the river, he happens upon two men cutting a fence where the rest of the flock are stabled, henchmen of ruthless cattle baron Fergus Hunter (John Noble).

Using the rope still tied around his waist from rescuing the stray sheep, Yoder winds up being dragged several feet by his horse, until he finally manages to cut himself free with a small knife.

At the Yoder homestead, the religious community they belong to—a group resembling the Amish that refer to themselves as the "Plain People"—are gathered.

As Benjo hurries to town, Rebecca drags the unconscious man back into her home and begins disarming him, her alarm growing as she finds more and more guns on his person.

Wounded outlaw Johnny Gault (Tim Daly) is given refuge by widowed sheep farmer Rebecca Yoder.