Indian Horse

In 1961, Saul’s Ojibway family hides with their grandmother Naomi and his parents near Redditt to avoid removal to a residential school. Benjamin returns from the residential system, signaling a shift as the family contemplates leaving. They decide to relocate to Gods Lake to reconnect with their ancestors.

Winter 1961–1962, Benjamin dies of tuberculosis and his parents leave with his body, never to return. The loss deepens the family's isolation as they move toward Gods Lake. The tragedy marks a turning point for Saul and his grandmother Naomi.

Naomi and Saul attempt to reach Minaki, but their canoe overturns and supplies run out. Naomi dies in the attempt, leaving Saul to be found by authorities. He is taken to St. Jerome's Indian Residential School in White River.

At St. Jerome's, the children endure daily abuse under Father Quinney and Sister Ignacia. Father Leboutilier arrives and forms a hockey team for older boys, giving Saul a chance to prove his talent. Saul uses scraps as a puck during long practice and earns a place on the team; he is invited to join White River's midget team but is excluded because of his Ojibway ethnicity.

In 1966, Saul, thirteen, leaves St. Jerome's to live with his Ojibway family in Manitouwadge to play for the Moose junior hockey team. He is coached by Fred Kelly and captained by Virgil, quickly earning a reputation for his skill. He leads the Moose to victory against rival teams and is reunited briefly with Leboutilier after a game in Pic River, the last time he sees him.

After beating the Kapuskasing Chiefs, the Moose travel along the Trans-Canada Highway and face escalating heckling and violence over their ethnicity. Near Chapleau, a mob beats and urinates on all Moose players except Saul, who is spared due to his age and skill. The trauma hardens Saul and tests the team's unity.

At sixteen, Saul is scouted by the Toronto Marlboros, a feeder team for the Maple Leafs, and joins their training camp. The relentless discrimination triggers violent outbursts in him, causing him to be benched and eventually leave the camp. He returns to Manitouwadge and rejoins the Moose, but his aggression alienates his teammates.

Having left the Marlboros at eighteen, Saul becomes an alcoholic hobo and roams Canada for several years. He drifts through towns and memories, seeking purpose while trying to drown the trauma of his past. The dream of hockey continues to haunt him as a form of escape.

In 1978, Saul works briefly as a farmhand in Redditt before moving to Winnipeg, where a seizure lands him in the hospital. The episode becomes a turning point that pushes him toward rehabilitation. His health crisis marks the start of a long healing journey.

Saul is taken in by the New Dawn Centre, an Indigenous rehabilitation facility in Winnipeg. There he meets his counselor Moses and undergoes a vivid spiritual experience in which he sees his deceased family. The experience helps him begin reconciling with his trauma.

In 1986 Saul returns to the now-closed St. Jerome's and breaks down in the abandoned hockey rink, openly acknowledging the abuse he endured from Leboutilier. He then journeys to Minaki and takes a boat to Gods Lake, where he speaks with his great-grandfather Shabogeesick, the first Indian Horse. These experiences mark a turning point toward healing.

Saul travels to Manitouwadge to reconnect with Fred and Martha, both residential school survivors, and with Virgil who now coaches his son Billy's bantam team. He contemplates coaching the bantam squad, and Virgil invites him to a reunion game with the Moose. That night, Saul finds a ball of tape on the rink and starts practicing again, mirroring his St. Jerome's routine.