Cry for Me, Billy

Billy offers water to a group of Apache prisoners under the care of a racist US Army sergeant. His act of kindness contrasts with the hostility around him, showing the strain between mercy and violence on the frontier. The moment sets Billy's conscience against the brutality surrounding him.

After the encounter, Billy talks with a friend about taking a job far from the frontier. He hopes to leave violence behind and start anew. The conversation foreshadows an escape from the gunslinger life.

While away from the outpost, Billy learns that most of the Apache were killed and that one girl, Flower, survives. Flower has been kept as a prisoner by the soldiers but managed to endure. The brutality of the scene steels Billy's resolve to act.

Billy tracks the troop movements to locate Flower and discovers she escaped on her own. He resolves to protect her as they begin to travel together. The pursuit marks the start of an uneasy alliance.

Billy and Flower traverse the wilderness together, relying on each other for survival. They gradually earn trust as they share the hardship of the journey. Their companionship sets the stage for a deeper bond.

They encounter a cabin owner and his son who try to ambush them to seize goods or sex with Flower. Billy repels the attempt with a shotgun and keeps them at bay, forcing the men to retreat. The incident shows Billy's readiness to fight when protection is at stake.

The pair presses on with only Billy's horse, surviving on the move. They discover a wild horse and Billy manages to domesticate it, symbolizing a new life ahead. The act strengthens their journey and independence.

In the quiet moments of travel, Billy and Flower grow closer and fall in love. They share a tender connection that offers hope amid danger. The bond deepens as they navigate the trials of the frontier.

The Sergeant and his men catch up after being alerted by the cabin owners. They beat Billy, tie him to a trunk, and steal their remaining horse. Flower is subjected to a horrifying assault as part of the soldiers' abuse.

Flower frees Billy from his bindings, but after a moment away from him she takes her own life. Billy mourns the loss and buries her in the wilderness. The tragedy hardens his resolve for vengeance.

Driven by grief, Billy tracks the soldiers and ambushes them in the middle of the night. He kills the soldiers who harmed Flower and ends their threat. The act marks a single-minded pursuit of retribution.

With the path of vengeance taken, Billy returns to town intending to accept the job his friend offered. He yearns to leave behind the gunslinger life and start anew elsewhere. The decision signals a possible exit from violence, if only temporarily.

As Billy attempts to leave, the cabin owners shoot him, ending his bid to abandon the frontier. The act underscores the town's deadly ties to the violence they've lived with. The story closes with the sense that Billy's fate is sealed by the cycle of violence.

In the final credits, imagery and the song suggest that Billy and Flower might be together in heaven. The film leaves their fate as a hopeful, if ambiguous, afterlife beyond violence. The closing note contrasts the brutality of their journey with a peaceful possible reunion.