A Young Pikuni Man, the lone survivor of a deadly curse that decimates his village, joins forces with an unlikely ally to finally face the unknown.
In early 18th Century North America, European invaders have made their presence known to most of the indigenous populations. However, some people in the north have remained untouched. The Pikuni (Blackfeet) Nation are among them.A group of Shoshone Warriors maliciously infect a Pikuni village with smallpox using a trick they've learned from European traders; passing on goods that are infected with the virus. To the Pikuni, this new and unseen killer is seen as an unstoppable curse.A young Pikuni man, Older Brother, is strangely spared by the Curse, and struggles to understand why. He tries to care for and heal the living left from his his village, but helplessly watches as his people slowly succumb to the deadly virus. Despite his Father's orders to let him and the rest of his tribe die in peace so Older Brother can live, he defies his Father and continues to care for the dying.Not understanding the origins of the Curse, the Pikuni people believe it is invoked by mythical beings who can curse and kill without even being seen; Sooyii (Creatures), in their native language.When Older Brother's Father and the remaining survivors are killed in an act of crazed vengeance, he becomes the last survivor of his village. Since he has stayed to care for the sick, he cannot go to another village as he is seen as "Cursed.". He is an outcast, left with nothing. In a state of hopelessness, he tries to infect himself with the Curse.In his solitude, he unexpectedly encounters a Shoshone woman who is fleeing from her white captors. Her appearance gives Older Brother renewed meaning in life, and he is faced with a terrible dilemma as he struggles to protect her from her pursuers, or trade her back to them to attain the one thing that they possess that might give other Pikuni villages a fighting chance against the dreaded curse.
