Fact1: United States government Sick of betrayals perpetrated on Native Americans, Fact2: Colonel William Ludlow moves to remote part of Montana, Fact3: Accompanying them are hired hand and Decker Decker 's Cree wife and daughter, Fact4: William 's Isabel does not adapt to harsh Montana winters and moves to East Coast, Fact5: devastated Tristan sends it home to be buried at ranch
Output: Sick of betrayals the United States government perpetrated on the Native Americans, Colonel William Ludlow leaves the Army and moves to a remote part of Montana. Along with One Stab, a Cree friend, he builds a ranch and raises his family. Accompanying them are hired hand and former outlaw Decker, Deckers Cree wife Pet, and daughter Isabel Two. William has three sons: Alfred, the eldest, is responsible and cautious; Tristan, the Colonels favorite son, is wild and wellversed in American Indian traditions; Samuel, the youngest, is educated but naive and constantly watched over by his brothers. Williams wife Isabel does not adapt to the harsh Montana winters and moves to the East Coast; Tristan vows never to speak of her again. At age 12, Tristan touches a sleeping grizzly bear. The bear awakens and injures him, but he stabs at the bears paw and cuts off a claw. Years later, Samuel returns from Harvard University with his fiancee, Susannah. Susannah talks with Isabel Two and learns of her fondness for Tristan. Susannah finds Tristan captivating but loves Samuel. Before they can marry, Samuel announces his intention to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force and aid Britain in the fight against Germany. Much to their fathers displeasure, Alfred also joins. Although Tristan does not want to join, he does so to protect his brothers. During World War I, the brothers find themselves in the 10th Battalion, CEF. Alfred, commissioned as an officer, leads a charge into no mans land. The attack results in heavy casualties and Alfred is wounded. While visiting Alfred in the field hospital, Tristan learns that Samuel has volunteered for a dangerous reconnaissance mission. He rushes off to protect his brother but arrives too late. A devastated Tristan holds Samuel until he dies, then cuts out his brothers heart and sends it home to be buried at the ranch. Tristan singlehandedly raids the German lines. He returns to camp with the scalps of German soldiers hanging around his neck, horrifying his fellow soldiers. He is discharged but does not go home. Alfred returns to Montana and proposes to Susannah, but she declines. Tristan returns home, where Susannah finds him weeping over Samuels grave. She comforts him, and they become lovers. A jealous Alfred confronts Tristan and leaves to make his name in Helena. Tristan is plagued with guilt over Samuels death and feels responsible for driving Alfred away; he leaves Montana for several years. Susannah waits for him, only to receive a letter telling her to marry someone else. Alfred comforts Susannah. William finds them together, which leads to a falling out between him and Alfred. William later suffers a stroke. He does not speak for years and the ranch deteriorates. Susannah marries Alfred, now a congressman. Alfreds business and politics cause him to get involved with the OBanion brothers, bootleggers and gangsters. Tristan returns during Prohibition, bringing life back to the ranch and his father. He falls in love with Isabel Two and they marry. They have two children, the elder being a boy named Samuel. Tristan becomes involved in smallscale rumrunning, finding himself at odds with the OBanion brothers. Isabel is accidentally killed by a police officer working for the OBanions. In a fit of grief, Tristan beats the officer nearly to death and is jailed. Susannah visits Tristan, still having feelings for him, but he refuses her advances. After his release, Tristan and Decker kill those responsible for Isabels death, including one of the OBanion brothers. Realizing she cannot live without Tristan, Susannah commits suicide. The remaining OBanion brother, along with the corrupt sheriff and another police officer, comes after Tristan for revenge. At the ranch, William and Alfred kill the attackers. Alfred reconciles with his father and brother. The family realizes that Tristan is likely to be blamed for the deaths, which prompts Tristan to ask Alfred to take care of his children. One Stabs narration explains that later during the night they bury the bodies and dump the car in the Missouri River. He reflects that rather than dying young as he, the American Indian, had expected, Tristan lived to watch his children and grandchildren grow. One Stab observes that it was the people Tristan loved and wanted to protect most that died young. The last scene takes place in 1963. Tristan, now an old man living in the North Country, investigates an animal carcass as he is confronted by a grizzly bear. He draws his knife and fights it. As they struggle, the image freezeframes as One Stab narrates, It was a good death.