First Cow

Otis 'Cookie' Figowitz, a quiet chef, travels with loud fur trappers who taunt him for not finding enough food. He encounters King-Lu, a Chinese immigrant fleeing after killing a Russian man, who hides in Cookie's camp for the night. The next day Lu escapes across the river, leaving Cookie to consider what kind of partnership might save them both.

Lu tracks Cookie down at the fort and finds him babysitting an infant in the middle of a bar fight. Impressed by Cookie's mercy and ingenuity, Lu invites him to his house, and Cookie agrees to move in. The two men begin to imagine a future together.

Lu hints at starting a farm while Cookie envisions opening a bakery or hotel in San Francisco. The partnership forms around survival and shared dreams. Their plans foreshadow the fortunes that will shape their lives.

The outpost receives its first milk cow, while the mate and calf die en route, leaving only the single cow. Cookie and Lu watch from a distance and sense a potential windfall. The presence of the cow hints at a new source of wealth.

Discreetly, Cookie and Lu sneak onto the Chief Factor's property at night to milk the cow. Lu keeps watch from a tree while Cookie carefully extracts milk, hoping to turn it into something delicious. They dream their milk could translate into sugar and wealth.

Cookie refines the recipe with honey and bakes a batch of sweet oily biscuits. They take their goods to market and the townspeople line up, hungry for more. A bidding war erupts for the last cake, signaling a fortune in sight.

As profits grow, Cookie and Lu decide it's safer to store their money in a tree rather than risk a bank. The hideaway reflects their precarious status and their audacious approach to wealth. The market's success makes their plan to head to San Francisco feel closer than ever.

The Chief Factor tastes their cakes and asks Cookie to bake a clafoutis to impress a captain. They deliver the dessert, and the cow even seems to recognize Cookie, easing the tension a touch. The warning bells grow louder, and Lu argues they still lack enough money to flee to San Francisco.

A night-time disturbance reveals their theft, and the Chief Factor orders his men to kill Cookie and Lu. They flee toward the river, with Lu jumping to safety while Cookie hides, then falls and suffers a head injury. The pursuit leaves their future precarious and uncertain.

Cookie regains consciousness in a shack after the accident, aided by an elderly Native Hawaiian couple. He resolves to find Lu and recover their fortune, setting a course for further danger. The encounter reframes his quest as a fragile, stubborn alliance.

Lu uses his buttons to hire a canoe and goes downstream in search of Cookie, returning to the shack and hiding as the Chief Factor's men scour the wreckage. He retrieves their money from the tree, preserving the fortune that sustains their dream. The two remain steadfast in their shared plan to survive.

Cookie reunites with Lu at the shack, and they decide to catch the next boat south. Cookie struggles to keep up through the woods, while Lu promises to keep watch and protect him. They lie down together, sharing a quiet, stubborn hope for safety.

In the present day, a woman walking her dog along the river discovers two skeletons lying together in a shallow grave. The discovery frames the narrative and invites reflection on memory, loss, and the price of ambition. The bones hint at a lifelong bond between Cookie and Lu.