Brimstone

Two wounded men, Samuel and Wolf, are the last survivors after a deadly dispute over gold. They hitch a rough journey across the desert on a single horse, surviving against the odds. Their survival marks the earliest thread that ties later cycles of violence together.

Anna confronts the Reverend about his lust for Joanna, and in a brutal act of desperation she takes her own life in front of the church congregation. Her death exposes the perverse power at the center of the family. The community is shaken by the revelation of the Reverend's depravity.

The Reverend takes Joanna to church and begins a wedding ceremony between himself and her. Samuel tries to intervene and rescue Joanna, but the Reverend murders Samuel, cementing his control over Joanna. The act reveals the Reverend's total domination over the family.

The Reverend beats and rapes Joanna, continuing his abuse. The next morning, Joanna runs away, seeking to escape his clutches and the abusive system that governs her life. Her flight marks a turning point for her personal survival.

Joanna is bought by a brothel owner in the mining town of Bismuth and enters a life she did not choose. She is sheltered briefly by Sally, a fellow prostitute, before trouble returns. The town becomes the new theater for her suffering and resilience.

Sally is hanged for shooting a violent client, and Elizabeth then takes Joanna under her wing. In punishment, Elizabeth's tongue is cut off after she bites the tongue of an abusive customer. Joanna and Elizabeth forge a fragile bond in a brutal environment.

Joanna teaches Elizabeth sign language from a book the doctor provided, helping Elizabeth communicate despite losing her tongue. This bond becomes crucial as they navigate life in Bismuth. Their alliance grows in the shadows of exploitation.

The Reverend returns to the brothel, recognizes Joanna, and violently abuses her once more. Elizabeth saves Joanna from immediate danger but is murdered by the Reverend, and Joanna slashes the Reverend's throat in retaliation. She escapes, cuts off her own tongue, and takes Elizabeth's place with Eli.

Elizabeth 'Liz' Brundy, mute and a midwife in the Old West, attends a church session where she somehow recognises the Reverend. The encounter unsettles her, setting the stage for the supernatural elements that follow. Her silence becomes a tool and a symbol in the unfolding tale.

During a difficult birth, Liz must choose between delivering the baby safely or saving the mother. She chooses to euthanise the baby to save the mother, a decision that haunts her and stirs Nathan's anger toward her. The act cements her status as a figure of mystery and mercy.

The Reverend confronts Liz's family at home, disemboweling Eli and ensuring the father dies. As the family escapes toward the mountains, Matthew is told to lead Liz and her children to safety. The violence pushes the family into a perilous new chapter.

Liz sneaks out at night to murder the Reverend, but finds her daughter's doll in his bed instead, a chilling sign of how far their world has fallen. The family ultimately flees toward the mountains, seeking shelter from the Reverend's reach. The moment underscores Liz's relentless struggle for control over her fate.

In the mountains, the Reverend shoots Matthew and kills Liz's father-in-law, declaring that he will beat and rape her daughter. Liz, pushed past the breaking point, kills the Reverend to protect her daughter. The cycle of violence threatens to swallow them all.

Nathan, now a deputy, tracks Liz to the ferry and arrests her with a poster of Elizabeth Brundy in hand. As Liz is escorted onto the lake, she throws herself into the water and drowns, leaving a grown Sam to remember her mother. The memory preserves the tragedy across generations.