The Shooting

Gashade returns to his remote mining camp after a long absence, finding his partner Coley fearful and on edge. Coley explains that Leland Drum was shot two days earlier by an unseen assassin, a murder possibly tied to the town's trampling death of a little person caused by Coigne. The killer seems to be seeking revenge, and Coigne had fled moments before the shooting.

Coley's paranoia grows after Drum's death, and Gashade takes away his gun to prevent a reckless act. Coley clings to the memory of Drum's death and mutters about threats, while the uneasy atmosphere around them deepens as they brace for what's coming.

The next day a young woman shoots her horse outside the camp, then offers Gashade a thousand dollars to guide her to Kingsley. Despite his distrust, he grudgingly accepts, and Coley decides to accompany them on the trek.

The trio stops briefly in Crosstree on the route, where Gashade learns Coigne had been seen there recently. The revelation hints at a connection between the murder, Coigne's flight and the woman's mission.

While crossing the hot desert, a man dressed in black named Billy Spear follows at a distance and appears to signal to the woman. Gashade senses trouble as the figure watches from the shadows and seems to guide them.

At night, Spear suddenly arrives at their camp, claiming to be hired by the woman. He is openly hostile toward Gashade and derides Coley, repeatedly threatening their safety and testing Gashade's resolve.

The woman pushes the journey forward and, after their mounts weaken, demands that Coley be left behind. Spear and the woman threaten to abandon him, and Gashade reluctantly agrees, while Spear gloats about killing Drum and warns that following will be deadly.

A bearded man with a broken leg sits in the desert and tells the woman that the person she seeks is only one day away. He offers water, then she leaves him, while Coley finds the man's lost horse and rides back to the group.

Coley mounts the bearded man's horse and charges Spear, who shoots him dead. Gashade buries Coley in the sand, and the group presses on under the heat as they continue toward their unknown destination.

All horses die and water runs out, yet they keep moving. Spear grows weaker in the punishing sun, and Gashade seizes a chance to strike, knocking Spear unconscious and crushing the killer's gun hand with a rock.

Gashade follows the woman to a rock formation where Coigne—his look-alike brother—appears. The woman shoots Coigne dead just as Gashade lunges to stop her; he whispers his brother's name in disbelief as Spear staggers in the heat.

With Coigne dead, the immediate confrontation ends, but the future remains uncertain for Gashade and the surviving woman. The desert heat bears down as Spear staggers away and Gashade processes the toll of revenge, family, and violence.