Following the Second Schleswig War in 1864, Jon and his brother Peter emigrate to the United States from Denmark and settle somewhere between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Seven years later, Jon’s wife, Marie and his 10-year-old son, Kresten, arrive. The family boards a stagecoach bound for their small residence while Peter stays behind. Their coach is also boarded by two recently released criminals, Paul and Lester. Following a tense struggle, the two criminals throw Jon out of the moving coach after which they rape and kill Jon's wife. They also kill his son and the stagecoach drivers.