Hochelaga, Land of Souls

After a brutal battle on the Isle of Death, many Iroquoians are killed and a lone survivor is named Asigny by an Iroquois prophet. The naming marks a prophetic moment that seeds a lineage tracked across centuries. This event anchors the film’s long arc of history tied to a single land.

Centuries later, Baptiste Asigny, descendant of Asigny, pursues Mohawk history as a graduate student under Professor Antoine Morin at Université de Montréal. He struggles to pay rent and secure research grants while dedicating himself to archaeology. His work sets the stage for the field excavation.

A rainstorm opens a sinkhole beneath the field during a football game at McGill University's Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, killing one player. The incident spurs Morin to consider that the site may conceal evidence of Hochelaga. It becomes the catalyst for the excavation project.

Morin secures an order from the Ministry of Culture to conduct an archaeological dig and hires Baptiste to lead the excavation. Baptiste accepts despite ongoing financial pressures. The dig officially begins on the field above the sinkhole.

Over several days of digging, the team uncovers evidence that the Isle of Death was the site of a purple fever outbreak in 1687. The find links the location to a dark period of illness affecting Indigenous people and settlers. This discovery ties different centuries of history to a single place.

Étienne Maltais carries on an affair with a native woman named Akwi and promises to marry her the following year, not before God but the Great Spirit. He falls gravely ill with purple fever and is hospitalized, while a Catholic chaplain condemns him for his sin. Maltais dies, insisting on his autonomy until the end.

The excavation uncovers evidence that two Patriotes fleeing Loyalist forces found sanctuary on the Walker property, where Mrs. Walker provides shelter. They are eventually discovered and killed by Loyalist troops led by Colonel Philip Thomas. Mrs. Walker notes that her advanced age makes her unlikely to stand trial.

Baptiste discovers weapons on the dig site that archaeologists believe could have belonged to Patriote rebels during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837. The find adds another layer to the site's history and its connection to later conflicts. The team contemplates the broader historical web surrounding Hochelaga.

At the end of the dig, Baptiste finds Jacques Cartier's cross, tying Hochelaga to Cartier's 1535 visit. The cross signifies a long history of European contact and claims on the land. The discovery reframes Hochelaga as a nexus of Indigenous and colonial histories.

Cartier met the Hochelaga chief Tennawake and presented him with the cross; Cartier named the land Mont Réal (Royal Mountain). The meeting is depicted as peaceful yet foreshadows future European settlement. The event anchors the film’s arc of historical encounters.

Six years after the sinkhole first opened, the football team returns to the field and Morin congratulates Baptiste on his research. The discovery has become a bridge linking Indigenous past with modern scholarship. Baptiste's work gains recognition within the academic community.