In 1881, a female gunslinger known only as The Lady arrives in the Old West town of Redemption, where she enters a bracket (tournament) quick-draw contest held by Redemption's ruthless mayor and former outlaw, John Herod. She encounters the Blind Shoeshine Boy and a repulsive escaped convict named Scars, whose proposition she harshly rebuffs. At a sign-up meeting in the town saloon that night, the rules are explained: any contestant may challenge any other, no challenge can be refused, every contestant must fight once per day, and a fight continues until one contestant either yields or dies. While there she meets Cort, a former Herod henchman turned preacher whom Herod has captured and forced to enter the contest. The Lady saves Cort's life by shooting through the rope with which Herod's men try to hang him, then drunkenly spends the night with "The Kid", a brash young man who runs a gun store and hopes to impress Herod. Believing Herod to be his father, The Kid hopes to earn his respect by entering and winning the tournament.