Dead Man

Blake, an accountant from Cleveland, travels by train to the frontier town of Machine to start work at the metal works. A veteran train fireman warns him the enterprise is dangerous and untrustworthy. Upon arrival, he finds the townsfolk hostile and discovers the job has already been filled, so Dickinson ejects him at gunpoint.

In Machine, Blake meets Thel Russell, a former prostitute who sells paper flowers and offers him shelter at her home. That night, Thel's ex-boyfriend Charlie surprises them in bed, shoots at Blake, and accidentally kills Thel while she shields him. Blake is wounded and escapes on Charlie's horse as Dickinson's men close in.

Back in town, Dickinson learns Blake is alive and intends to have him brought back dead or alive. He hires three killers — Cole Wilson, Conway Twill, and Johnny 'The Kid' Pickett — to track Blake down. The manhunt begins in earnest as the price on Blake's head rises.

Blake awakens to find a large Native American man, Nobody, trying to dislodge the bullet near his heart. Nobody explains the bullet's danger and that Blake may be a walking dead man. He decides to care for Blake and guide him toward the spirit world.

Nobody learns Blake's full name and declares that he might be the reincarnation of the poet William Blake. He commits to escorting Blake to the Pacific Ocean to return him to his place in the spirit world. He uses Native rites to ease Blake toward death.

Nobody tells Blake about his painful past, marred by prejudice from Euro-Americans and Native Americans alike. He explains his mixed Piikáni and Apsáalooke heritage and his time in Europe as a model savage. The name Xebeche, meaning 'he who talks loud, saying nothing', embodies how others have treated him.

Blake and Nobody press west, leaving a trail of dead and rising bounty posters for Blake's head. Nobody eventually leaves Blake alone to undertake a vision quest, insisting he face his fate. The journey becomes harsher as the isolation and danger mount.

During the vision quest, Blake kills two U.S. Marshals and experiences visions of nature spirits. He mourns the remains of a dead fawn killed by pursuers, then anoints his face with the fawn's blood before rejoining Nobody. The ritual marks a turning point toward acceptance of death.

Cole Wilson, the most ferocious hunter, defeats his comrades (even eating one) and continues the pursuit alone. The trail grows more dangerous as the bounty increases and the hunt tightens around Blake. Blake's situation becomes more precarious with every mile.

At a trading post, a bigoted missionary identifies Blake and tries to kill him but ends up dead at Blake's hands. The confrontation underscores the corrosive impact of prejudice and violence on both sides. This encounter further escalates the chase.

Blake is shot again and his condition deteriorates rapidly. Nobody rushes to move him by the river to a Makah village, where the tribe provides a canoe for his ship burial. The journey toward the end intensifies as his life ebbs away.

Delirious, Blake wanders through the Makah village and collapses. He awakens in a canoe on a beach, wearing a Native funeral dress. Nobody bids him farewell and pushes the canoe out to sea as villagers watch with pity.

As Blake's canoe drifts toward the ocean, Cole confronts Nobody and the two exchange gunfire, killing each other. Blake is too weak to cry out and dies soon after, his life ending as the canoe sails away. The journey closes with a spiritual departure rather than a traditional funeral.