Shenandoah

Charlie Anderson leads a rugged, self-reliant family on a Virginia farm during the Civil War, managing the land without slaves. They are devout in church and meals, but Charlie takes credit for everything and blames God only for misfortune. The war rages nearby while the family focuses on protecting their own kin, preserving a sense of normalcy amid chaos.

Jennie is courted by a young Confederate officer named Sam, and Charlie ultimately gives his blessing for their wedding. The ceremony proceeds with joy, but a corporal interrupts to recall Sam back to duty. Sam departs shortly after the vows, leaving Jennie in sorrow.

Ann goes into labor shortly after Sam leaves, and they welcome a baby girl named Martha in honor of Charlie's late wife. The birth gives the family a brief moment of joy amid the encroaching war. Charlie wrestles with the day’s sorrow while embracing his new role as father.

Boy and his friend Gabriel stumble into a Confederate ambush while out hunting; their rebel kepi cap leads Union soldiers to capture Boy as a suspected Rebel. Gabriel, who has been told he is free by a Black Union soldier, runs to tell the Andersons what happened, and Jennie confirms the emancipation rumor before heading out on his own.

They head from the farm toward Union lines in search of Boy, driven by a mix of fear and hope. The journey takes them toward possible Union camps and prisoner routes as they press on despite danger. Charlie's resolve deepens as the family stages a bold response to the crisis.

The depot crowd reveals no more prisoners, but Charlie disarms the guards and discovers Sam among the liberated prisoners. Jennie is overjoyed to see her husband, and the group accompanies him as he tells the soldiers to burn the train and go home. The moment signals a fleeting glimmer of Confederate hopes in a collapsing war.

Boy is taken aboard a paddle wheeler with Carter and fellow prisoners to escape toward Confederate lines. They reach a Confederate camp, but are attacked by Federal forces the next day; Carter is killed and Boy is shot in the leg. Gabriel, revealed as a Union soldier, helps Boy hide in a bush until the battle passes.

Back at the farm, Confederate scavengers raid the household, killing James and then attacking Ann. The violence shakes the family to its core and intensifies the loss around the brothers and sisters left on the land. The raid sets in motion the painful consequences of a war that spares few families.

While returning from the raid, a Confederate sentry wakes to the sound of horses and shoots sixteen-year-old Jacob. Charlie, shaken by the loss, asks the sentry his age and, recognizing the senseless cost of the war, tells him he should live to have his own sons and understand loss. The scene marks a stark personal tragedy for the family.

The doctor informs the Andersons of the fates of James and Ann; Martha survives, cared for by a Black nanny at the farm. The family begins to map out a new normal in the wake of multiple losses, clinging to the newborn as a fragile beacon. Charlie contemplates the costs of war as he holds Martha.

At breakfast Charlie attempts his customary prayer but cannot finish, weighed down by grief. He walks to the family graveyard and sees the graves of his wife, James, Jacob, and Ann, the toll of the war made visible among the stones. The distant church bells echo his sorrow as he processes what has happened.

The family dresses for church on a Sunday and, to everyone's relief, Boy staggers in with a crutch. Charlie helps his son to the pew and the entire congregation joins in singing, as if to reaffirm life and faith beyond the losses. The scene closes the film on a note of endurance and shared resilience.