Synopsis

1823, half-blood Hugh Glass guides Captain Andrew Henry's company trappers party through the present-day Dakotas. While he and his half-Pawnee son, Hawk hunt, the company's camp is attacked and decimated by an Arikara war party which seeks its Chief's abducted daughter, Powaqa. The surviving trappers escape onto a boat. Guided by Glass, who is questioned by some trappers, they next reach on foot Fort Kiowa, as traveling downriver would make them vulnerable. After docking, they stashes the pelts. While scouting game, Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear and left presumably dying. Trapper John Fitzgerald fears another Arikara attack, argues they must mercy-kill Glass and keep moving. Henry offers money for two men to stay with Glass and bury him after he dies: the only volunteers are Hawk and the young Jim Bridger, yet Fitzgerald agrees to stay for money, to recoup his losses from the abandoned pelts. After the others leave, Fitzgerald attempts to smother Glass but is discovered by Hawk, whom he soon after fatally steps while Bridger is gathering water, stabs Hawk to death . Fitzgerald convinces unsuspecting Bridger that the Arikara are approaching, so they must abandon Glass. Bridger ultimately follows Fitzgerald after the latter leaves Glass half-buried alive in a makeshift grave, leaving his canteen. Later Fitzgerald admits the lie. When they meet Henry at the fort, Fitzgerald tells Henry that Glass died and Hawk vanished. Glass begins his arduous journey through the wilderness. He performs crude cauterization of his wounds, eludes the pursuing Arikara by jumping into rapids and teams up with Pawnee refugee Hikuc, sharing bison meat. As a storm approaches, Hikuc constructs a makeshift sweat lodge for a feverish Glass to shelter in. After a hallucinogenic experience in it, Glass emerges as his wounds are healing but Hikuc has been hanged by French hunters. He infiltrates their camp and frees raped Powaqa, kills several hunters and recovers Hikuc's horse. The next morning, Glass is ambushed by the Arikara and driven over a cliff on his horse. He survives by eviscerating the horse to shelter in its carcass. A French survivor staggers into Fort Kiowa, and Bridger recognizes his spiral engraved canteen as Glass's, Henry organizes a search party. Fitzgerald empties the outpost's safe and flees. The search party finds the exhausted Glass. Furious, Henry orders the arrest of Bridger, but Glass vouches that he was not present when Fitzgerald murdered Hawk and was later deceived and threatened by the higher-ranking Fitzgerald. After Glass and Henry split up, Fitzgerald ambushes, kills and scalps Henry. Glass finds Henry's corpse, places it on his horse as a decoy, shoots Fitzgerald in the arm and pursues him Fitzgerald to a riverbank where Glass is about to kill Fitzgerald, but he spots a band of Arikara downstream and pushes Fitzgerald downstream into the hands of the Arikara. Elk Dog kills and scalps Fitzgerald and the Arikara (who found Powaqa) spare Glass. Glass retreats into the mountains.

1823, half-blood Hugh Glass guides Captain Andrew Henry's company trappers party through the present-day Dakotas. While he and his half-Pawnee son, Hawk hunt, the company's camp is attacked and decimated by an Arikara war party which seeks its Chief's abducted daughter, Powaqa. The surviving trappers escape onto a boat. Guided by Glass, who is questioned by some trappers, they next reach on foot Fort Kiowa, as traveling downriver would make them vulnerable. After docking, they stashes the pelts. While scouting game, Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear and left presumably dying. Trapper John Fitzgerald fears another Arikara attack, argues they must mercy-kill Glass and keep moving. Henry offers money for two men to stay with Glass and bury him after he dies: the only volunteers are Hawk and the young Jim Bridger, yet Fitzgerald agrees to stay for money, to recoup his losses from the abandoned pelts. After the others leave, Fitzgerald attempts to smother Glass but is discovered by Hawk, whom he soon after fatally steps while Bridger is gathering water, stabs Hawk to death . Fitzgerald convinces unsuspecting Bridger that the Arikara are approaching, so they must abandon Glass. Bridger ultimately follows Fitzgerald after the latter leaves Glass half-buried alive in a makeshift grave, leaving his canteen. Later Fitzgerald admits the lie. When they meet Henry at the fort, Fitzgerald tells Henry that Glass died and Hawk vanished. Glass begins his arduous journey through the wilderness. He performs crude cauterization of his wounds, eludes the pursuing Arikara by jumping into rapids and teams up with Pawnee refugee Hikuc, sharing bison meat. As a storm approaches, Hikuc constructs a makeshift sweat lodge for a feverish Glass to shelter in. After a hallucinogenic experience in it, Glass emerges as his wounds are healing but Hikuc has been hanged by French hunters. He infiltrates their camp and frees raped Powaqa, kills several hunters and recovers Hikuc's horse. The next morning, Glass is ambushed by the Arikara and driven over a cliff on his horse. He survives by eviscerating the horse to shelter in its carcass. A French survivor staggers into Fort Kiowa, and Bridger recognizes his spiral engraved canteen as Glass's, Henry organizes a search party. Fitzgerald empties the outpost's safe and flees. The search party finds the exhausted Glass. Furious, Henry orders the arrest of Bridger, but Glass vouches that he was not present when Fitzgerald murdered Hawk and was later deceived and threatened by the higher-ranking Fitzgerald. After Glass and Henry split up, Fitzgerald ambushes, kills and scalps Henry. Glass finds Henry's corpse, places it on his horse as a decoy, shoots Fitzgerald in the arm and pursues him Fitzgerald to a riverbank where Glass is about to kill Fitzgerald, but he spots a band of Arikara downstream and pushes Fitzgerald downstream into the hands of the Arikara. Elk Dog kills and scalps Fitzgerald and the Arikara (who found Powaqa) spare Glass. Glass retreats into the mountains.