Based on the novella of the same title by Jim Harrison , the film is about three brothers and their father living in the wilderness and plains of Montana in the early 20th century and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.
The film's time frame spans nearly 50 years from the early 20th century; World War I , through the Prohibition era, and ending with a brief scene set in Along with One Stab, a Cree friend, he builds a ranch and raises his family.
Accompanying them are hired hand and former outlaw Decker with his Cree wife Pet, and daughter Isabel Two. William has three sons: Alfred, the eldest; Tristan, the middle son; and Samuel, the youngest. William's wife Isabel does not adapt to the harsh Montana winters and moves to the East Coast; Tristan vows never to speak of her.
At age 12, Tristan touches a sleeping grizzly bear, which awakens and injures him, but he cuts off a claw. Before they can marry, he announces his intention to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force and aid Britain in the fight against Germany in World War I.
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Much to William's displeasure, Alfred also joins. Tristan reluctantly joins after swearing to Susannah to protect Samuel. The brothers find themselves in the 10th Battalion, CEF. Alfred, commissioned as an officer, leads a charge into no man's land. The attack results in heavy casualties and he is wounded.
