The Settlers (2024) Plot Summary & Ending Explained

In 1893, Segundo, Camilo Arancibia a Chilean mestizo; Alexander MacLennan, Mark Stanley a Scottish veteran; and Bill, Benjamin Westfall an American mercenary, embark on an expedition on horseback to delimit and reclaim the lands that the State has granted to José Menéndez. What appears to be an administrative mission soon spirals into a violent hunt for the Onas, the Indigenous people of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, with the Selknam genocide at the film’s core.

Thanks to his excellent shooting skills, Segundo is initially chosen as the sole man to accompany MacLennan on his task. However, on the day they’re set to depart, José Menéndez, Alfredo Castro informs MacLennan that a man of his own choosing, a mercenary named Bill, will be joining them. MacLennan wears a distinctive red jacket and is believed to have spent time serving as a lieutenant in the British army. Once they are alone together, Bill voices his doubts about Segundo’s reliability and questions why, as a lieutenant, he doesn’t command more followers, to which MacLennan replies that Segundo is disciplined, and one disciplined man is better than ten undisciplined ones.

After several days of travel with no one else in sight, the trio encounters a group of soldiers on the Argentine border who are accompanying a scientist charged with charting the border. The three men engage the soldiers in a series of informal contests—shooting, arm wrestling, and boxing. During the evening, the scientist muses about the dangers of military boredom and reveals a troubling curiosity about Native peoples. MacLennan presses him on whether he knows where more natives might be found.

Leaving the soldiers and the scientist behind, they press on until they come across a group of Native Americans. MacLennan and Bill work together to slaughter most of the people there, while Segundo cannot bring himself to kill any of them, though he does consider shooting Bill and ultimately decides against it. After the massacre, MacLennan and Bill take turns raping a young female survivor. When Segundo refuses to join in, MacLennan threatens to kill him. As the victim lies out of sight, Segundo pretends to comply, but he secretly kills the young woman in an attempt to spare her further pain.

The trio next encounters a group of English mercenaries; their leader reveals during a shared dinner that MacLennan is not actually a lieutenant but a private masquerading as one. Bill expresses surprise that a higher-ranking officer would dine with a lowly private, and the mercenary leader shoots Bill dead in disgust. The leader offers MacLennan a Native American woman as a replacement for Bill, which MacLennan accepts. The officer then rapes MacLennan, and the three men, along with the woman, depart together the next morning.

Seven years later, José Menéndez is living in a beautiful mansion in Punta Arenas, accompanied by his daughter and a clergyman, when Marcial Vicuña, Marcelo Alonso arrives from the capital to assess how Chile should mark its centennial celebrations. Menéndez contends that many visitors have come before and focused only on the negatives, without truly helping. Vicuña asks whether the negatives include the deeds of men like Alexander MacLennan, nicknamed The Red Pig. Menéndez defends his former employee, noting that MacLennan is now dead but had worked for him for many years. Vicuña recounts a tale he read that claimed MacLennan and his men poisoned a beached whale, causing the deaths of a hundred Native Americans. Menéndez defends him, insisting the man was a lieutenant, even as his daughter and the clergyman defend the actions taken against the natives.

When an agreement cannot be reached among the four, Menéndez escorts Vicuña to a study to discuss matters seriously. Vicuña explains that the government in Santiago believes all social groups must live and work together to achieve true peace, while Menéndez argues that peace already exists in this part of Chile. Vicuña suggests there is an effort to bury some of the more violent aspects of how Menéndez acquired so much land, and he pursues a possible settlement with the Mapuche. He also expresses a desire to speak with the Onas to make an accord, though his underlying goal is to obscure the brutal chapters of the past.

Vicuña then travels to Chiloé Island to locate Segundo, where he is greeted by Rosa, a Native American woman who is Segundo’s wife. Rosa tells Vicuña that Segundo is out at sea, but he soon appears at the door. Vicuña presses Rosa to allow him to speak with Segundo, insisting on obtaining the full story. Inside, Vicuña asks how Rosa and Segundo met and Segundo explains that Menéndez appointed MacLennan as a “Peace Judge” and that Rosa was meant to help translate discussions between MacLennan and the natives. He also recounts a beachside banquet attended by over three hundred Native Americans that ended with many being killed, driven into the sea, and strangled.

Vicuña then arranges a final scene outside their home, with a tea set laid out on a table. He has his assistant, Laura, fill their cups and instructs them to drink as he films. Segundo complies immediately, while Rosa refuses, signaling that she will not participate in a project that aims to assimilate or erase her people.

The ending of "The Settlers" is a stark reflection of the lasting impact of violence and injustice inflicted upon indigenous populations. After years of brutal colonization and genocide, Segundo and Rosa have managed to survive, though scarred by their experiences. When government officials like Vicuna arrive years later, they pretend to care about their stories and advocate for rights, but their true purpose is mostly superficial—aiming to cover up the atrocities of the past and project an image of progress. Rosa, aware of this deception, refuses to let her dignity be compromised by false promises and manipulations. Meanwhile, Segundo, haunted by the horrors he witnessed and participated in, struggles with his internal trauma. The couple’s decision to share their story on camera appears to serve as a form of acknowledgment and a way to seek some measure of validation, but it also highlights how little has truly changed. The film ends with Rosa and Segundo remaining resilient in the face of ongoing exploitation, knowing that the legacy of violence still lingers and that true justice has yet to be achieved. Their story underscores that the scars of the past are not easily erased and that institutional power often disguises its cruelty with hollow gestures. The ending leaves viewers with the sobering reality that the cycle of violence and marginalization continues, and only through acknowledgment and genuine change can justice be truly served.