Summary :
Chanu, a young Indian from a local reservation has kidnapped Claire Moseley, the daughter of missionary Owen Moseley. The Reverend has asked the Seven to find Chanu and rescue Claire. The townspeople are up in arms about Chanu and Claire's brother Rafe is particularly anxious to see him brought to justice. Vin has a personal connection to the Indians and some of his compatriots think his loyalties are divided. Vin must find Chanu before the townspeople do. Josiah must come to terms with his own past to help him regain his personal balance.
Memorable Scenes :
Scene One - The Trail
Scene #2 - The Town
- Vin and Buck bring Chanu in. Some of the townspeople are riled up.
Ezra : Could be an interesting, creative challenge for you, Mrs. Travis, turning this situation into one of your pro-Indian editorials.
Mary : We don't know his story yet, Mr. Standish.
Ezra : A lovely young woman, abducted from her home by a savage. Couldn't we hazard a guess?
Scene #3 - The Saloon
- Josiah tells JD he is going to the Indian village, in case any of the Indians are thinking about breaking Chanu out of jail, and to meet the chief. Rafe comes in and challenges the Seven.
Rafe : All you fellas are mighty high on yourselves, ain't ya? I heard about your reputations. I ain't impressed. In Dodge City, I had me a run in or too myself.
JD : A reputation's gotta be growed into... sonny. You got yourself a few more years before you qualify.
Rafe :[to Josiah] You worried I'll thrown down on you?
Chris : Not half as worried as you should be, son.
Scene #4 - Indian Village
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Josiah rides out to tell Chanu's father - the Chief - that Chanu is in jail and will be tried for kidnapping. Koje laments that the white man does not understand Indian ways.
Josiah: I believe I understand.
Koje: You know my son's reasons?
Josiah: No, but I know what it's like to have a bible shoved down your throat. How mad that can make a man. My father was a missionary, like Moseley. Did his work for a while, till we broke.
Koje: Your god came between your father and you, and between me and Chanu. Your god should find better things to do with his time.
Scene #5 - The Jail
- Vin relieves JD and Nathan who are guarding the prisoner. He has brought Chanu some food and he's trying to get Chanu to tell him why he kidnapped Claire. Chanu doesn't trust him. At first Chanu ignores Vin, then he lashes out against the missionaries. Finally, he asks for the food and when Vin puts his hand through the bars, Chanu grabs his arm, spins him around and strangles Vin until he falls unconscious onto the floor. Chanu grabs the key and escapes.
- JD and Nathan find Vin and JD gets Chris. Vin is angry and he convinces Chris to let him go after Chanu. Nathan offers to go with Vin. They ride out to the Moseley house and find out that the Reverend and Claire are both gone. Rafe threatens Vin and Nathan and Vin knocks him out.
Scene #6 - The Trail
- JD arrives at the reservation to back up Josiah, in case Chanu shows up. Koje tells then Chanu will not return.
- Vin and Nathan track Chanu and Claire. Vin tells Nathan about the time he spent living with the Indians while he was a buffalo hunter. Moseley shows up and says he followed Chanu and Claire as far as he could, but he lost them. He takes Vin and Nathan to where he lost Chanu's track and shows them the fire the Indian left behind. Vin is confused because the firewood came from a nearby tree that had been hit by lightening, and Indians have a superstition about having anything to do with lightening.
Scene #7 - Outside the Jail
- Ezra and Buck are supposed to be "guarding" the jail, to make everyone think Chanu is still inside, but Ezra is a little casual about the ruse. As they talk, Rafe rides in.
Buck : I'll tell you the one thing we don't need is this town gettin' all riled up 'cause Chanu is gone. Could get ugly, and I do hate ugly.
Ezra : Well, then, brace yourself, Buck, 'cause here comes ugly.
- Rafe is mad that Chanu has escaped. Buck and Ezra try to calm him down and in the end, Buck hits him in the head with a rifle butt and knocks him out, and he and Ezra drag Rafe inside the jail.
Scene #8 - The Town
- Vin, Nathan and Moseley have found Claire - dead. Moseley rides into town with Claire's body and the townspeople line the street as he makes his way to the undertaker. Rafe comes to in time to see his father and his sister. Buck and Ezra take Claire's body off the horse and Ezra carries her inside.
Scene #9 - The Trail
- That night, Vin and Nathan are sitting by their camp fire.
Nathan : You know, it wasn't your fault. She died by Chanu's hands.
Vin : Yeah, but she'd still be alive if I hadn't let him get away. Thought I had a sense of him, knew who he was, but he's got a lot more hate in him than I figured.
Nathan : Vin, you're just a man, and every once in a while, a man can be wrong.
Scene #10 - Indian Village
- Josiah tells Koje about Claire and asks for his help. They talk about the regrets of fathers and sons.
Koje : Balance has been lost. We must find it again.
Josiah : Can we find Chanu first and then balance ourselves?
Scene #10 - The Trail
- Vin finds Chanu. Chanu wants Vin to kill him because he has nothing more to live for. They fight and Vin tells Chanu he knows the Indian didn't kill Claire. Chanu finally admits to Vin that Claire was his wife, and he loved her.
Scene #11 - Indian Village
- A number of townspeople have arrived to burn down the reservation and Rafe threatens to tear down the reservation looking for Chanu. Chris, Ezra and Buck arrive and tell the crowd to go home. Then Vin and Nathan arrive with Chanu. Vin tells everyone that Chanu and Claire were married and he didn’t kidnap her.
Chris : You got proof Vin?
Vin : Just the truth.
- Vin and Nathan go on to explain that Chanu could not have killed Claire because his hand was broken during his fight with Vin at the jail. Claire was strangled by someone with two strong hands. Vin confronts Moseley and accuses him of killing Claire. Moseley grabs a gun to kill Chanu, but Chris shoots it out of his hand and he falls to his knees. Josiah reveals that Claire was carrying Chanu's child. Moseley confesses, claiming he was only trying to talk to Claire, but she pushed him away and he grabbed her around the neck. Rafe realizes his father is not what he thought and is about to shoot him, but Josiah grabs his arm.
Josiah : If you murder him, you become him. Is that what you want?
- The Seven prepare to leave. Chanu gives Vin a special medicine pouch and they are bonded. Buck and Ezra are contrite for doubting Vin. As Josiah rides away, he holds our his arms for Koje to see.
Josiah : I got my balance back.
Trivia :
- John Cullum (Rev. Moseley) and Barry Corbin (Wicks -"Working Girls") appeared together in Northern Exposure.
- Dale Midkiff, Anthony Starke and Daren Flam (Rafe) ad libbed the scene where Rafe hits his head while being dragged into the jail during the "here comes ugly" scene. He really did hit his head.
