You want this place to wash away your sins,
but it ain't gonna happen.
Nobody is erasing the blood that is on your hands.
You can't run from it, Father.
I have protected you always, Seymour.
And just yesterday I saved your ass and you never
gave me a second of grace.
We're on the verge of victory, son.
We're gonna honour your brother's sacrifice and your mother's heart.
- Your brother's sacrifice. - No.
You took my brother to die and came back with a girl
who is sleeping in my mother's bed.
Now listen!
If you don't believe, then what are we doing here?
You know we're gonna find the gates to this town.
Now get outta here.
You still love me.
I've always loved you more than anything.
I had no choice, we needed the money.
Maybe that's what you told yourself.
But that's a lie.
What do you mean?
Come on, talk to me.
I saw it in Mama's eyes...
..and Uncle Elijah's.
It doesn't matter if you forgive me or not.
I'll keep on loving you, like I always do.
Then why didn't you come back after the war?
Why didn't you at least answer my letters, huh?
- That okay? - That is good.
Now, eat.
- Stuffed turkey. - Mm-hmm.
What are we celebrating?
That I'm still alive, thanks to you.
That you shot a man, who was about to kill me,
even though you said you couldn't shoot.
You see? You can do anything you set your mind to.
- Mama? - Mm-hmm.
There's something I've been working on, a secret.
Hmm.
'Swing low, Sweet chariot coming for
'To carry me home...
'I looked over Jordan, And what did I see,
'Coming for to carry me home?
'A band of angels
'Coming after me, Coming for to carry me home.
'Swing low, sweet chariot
'Coming for to carry me home...'
Why? Why are you doing this to me?
What do you mean?
I loved you and I protected you and I taught you everything you know.
And this is how you repay me?
- Mama, I'm sorry, I didn't kn- - No. You never know.
You never know where the devil is hiding.
It is my responsibility to protect you.
- Mama. - Even from yourself.
Please, no, mother, no. I'm begging you.
No, mother, no.
Please! Stop it. I'll do whatever you want!
Please, stop it.
I'll play whatever you want. Please, don't!
Help me, do something!
Stop it, do something.
I'll do whatever you want.
I'll play whatever you want. Please, don't! Help me, do something!
Want one?
Sure.
Let's say you manage to sell all the oil.
What will you do with all that money?
Clothes,
medicine, farm tools,
people will be able to light their homes,
we can grow our own food to eat.
This city means more to me and Sarah than anything in the whole world.
It bonds Sarah and me.
You've already lost a load down the river and...
..something tells me it wasn't an accident.
And you think my son, Seymour, had something to do with it?
Getting there.
The trap was perfectly organised and only he knew the meeting point.
Maybe the rescue was a show,
protecting her traitor's cover.
Elizabeth could have shot him in the head the second we said no.
She could've hunted us down and ground us into a pulp,
but she didn't.
You know why?
Sure.
If Seymour cheated, you only have one way to find out.
So, what do you have in mind?
Where you been?
Just rode into the highlands.
Got a job for you.
We movin' on again.
First thing in the morning.
You want me to try moving the oil again?
After what happened with the boat?
You in this family, or ain't you?
Here's my plan.
Tomorrow morning, we'll send barrels of water down south as a diversion.
The real ones go north.
Seymour will lead the southern expedition, while you and I
take care of the real oil and sell it to the north.
We'll be very careful not to be seen loading our barrels.
As you imagine, a lot of people will know about it.
Seymour's not one of 'em.
That's about far enough.
If you're gonna stop us, you're gonna have to go through me.
What makes you think I care about your miserable life, huh?
Move.
Out! Hey!
Fuck.
Once you sell the oil to the north, you can satisfy your people.
And if something happens to Seymour's cargo,
at least you will know who the traitor is.
Whoo! Yeah!
Go see. Go on, go and see what it is.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
Why?
I'm not afraid of war.
And suddenly, the world was perfect.
For tonight, at least.
Seymour.
When I was a boy, I'd look for any reason to get away from you.
Go and fetch some water, run an errand,
anything to put some distance between us.
I've always been the odd one out.
Everybody else is the perfect family.
And naively,
you believed it so much you made it true.
You threw my life away.
Kevin... Phillip... even the stranger...
You sent them with the secret cargo and left me for dead.
A pawn.
A sacrifice.
Risking my life for a few gallons of water!
You ain't risked nothing.
- You're here, ain't you? - I was trying to help.
I don't even believe in this damn plan and I was trying to help you.
Help?!
You ain't never helped nobody but yourself.
And I put up with it.
I put up with your mistrust, I put up with your betrayals.
- The way you treat your sister. - She ain't my sister.
And she ain't your daughter...
..and she ain't your wife.
She chose me.
You gotta be free... you gotta be free to choose.
She ain't never been free. Ever!
Huh?
You can stay, or you can go, I don't care.
But if you stay, no more special treatment.
No more grace. You understand?
Your projects dead already.
You killed and buried it.
Now all I want is to see you fall.
- Pardon? - The girl. The girl...
Cheers.
Seymour.
What's wrong?
Hey, where are you going?
Give me a minute.
Seymour. Seymour!
Sarah.
Let him go.
There's nothing you could do to change his mind.
It's probably better like that, though.
You really think he betrayed us?
All I know is we only sold the cargo he didn't know anything about.
- That was your idea? - Yeah.
You're here to destroy my family.
I am your family.
- And you destroyed that one too. - Sarah...
Destroying families is all you know how to do, huh?
Seymour ain't perfect but he is no traitor.
You just turned him into one.
He's only a boy, you could've had him killed.
Search that house.
You used to hide here when you needed time to yourself.
You still do.
You should really find a new place to run away to.
Or you could just come home.
So your husband can hang me from the palisades?
No one will hang you, if you find out who the traitor is.
Prove it's not you, make the rest of us safer.
I don't care about my father anymore.
Why'd you choose him?
Why?
He needed me... and I needed him.
You think I didn't need you?
You're hurting me.
You're the only reason I stayed as long as I did, you understand?
The only reason. Ah!
You are my brother, but you will never touch me again.
I'm here to help you.
We need to find the traitor, so you can come home.
All right?
My name's Sheriff Boone, of Bexar County,
and I suggest that you let us in.
So, come on now.
You John Ellis?
I'm him.
Now, this here's a warrant for your arrest.
What's the charge?
Fraud, trespassing, and grand larceny.
See, this land belongs to Madam Elizabeth Thurmann.
We're not here illegally.
This land was given to him by his former owner, Henry Allen,
through legitimate deed.
Well, your trial's in Elmdale in a week's time.
You can present your "legitimate deed" to the judge then.
But for now, you're coming with me.
No, sir.
It's a summons.
All it says is when I have to be in court.
Next week in Elmdale, then.
You're facing serious charges, Mr. Ellis.
Folks have swung for less.
Okay, we're done.
John, the deed's gone...
You still gonna defend Seymour?
I was a step ahead.
Had it on me day and night since the attack on the barge.
And I had an exact copy made, just in case.
- The trial's still in Elmdale. - Sarah.
That's her town.
- Sarah, come on... - She'll have her thumb on the scale
and you're still a Black man in Bexar County.
Yeah.
But my lawyer ain't.
You do what I asked?
Good boy.
I suggest you stay... right where you are.
Give me back what that boy stole.
Seymour. Have you finally come to your senses?
Sleeping in the woods helps me reflect.
I know what your father did to you.
I hope you decided which side to be on.
You know, it's not too late for you to join us.
I don't think you're dumb enough to shoot me.
Just in case, I took precautions.
Mm.
This is the second time I could have had you killed.
That's not what I want.
Go to your daddy.
Tell him the boy he welcomed inside of his gates is a traitor.
Because of his weakness, I now have the deed he extorted from my father.
Now...
..go.
I'm Martin Gress.
Seems my old comrade, John Ellis, needs my help removing
his chestnuts from a fire.
Colonel.
Captain John Ellis, you have quite a welcoming committee.
It's been a long time.
- Is it counsellor now? - Counsellor's just fine.
All right, then.
You remember Kevin and Phillip? C'mon.
Don't remember 'em that big.
- C'mon now. - Hey.
This is my wife, Sarah.
- Nice to meet you. - Hi.
And this here's Django.
Sir.
What unit were you in?
I spent the war in France.
- He's one of us now. - Uh-huh.
- C'mon, let's head inside. - All right.
- She was a fine woman. - Yes, she was.
Her spirit is very much a part of this town.
And that's why I'll defend it to the end.
You remember that?
It was right before Chambersburg.
How could I forget?
He was a good soldier, your son.
Andrew's a part of us too.
I'm supposed to go to Elmdale, to face a county judge.
They're saying I stole this land.
Who'd they say you stole it from?
Elizabeth Allen Thurmann.
So you're saying she's lying?
Yes, sir. It's my inheritance. I got the deed to prove it.
Elizabeth's father gave me this on his deathbed.
Here's the way you win this.
You take your beautiful family
and you run as far away from here as you can.
You don't think it's real?
Oh, I do. But...
I don't think a piece of paper is gonna stop that woman.
Not in Bexar County. Look, I know Judge Fourier a little.
If we can get him to accept this deed as legitimate evidence,
then maybe we have a shot.
Hold on, one second. You say Fourier?
You telling me the judge is a rebel colonel?
You won't find a judge around here who wasn't.
These are Texas courts.
They didn't legally consider you a person until they had to.
I bet Fourier still doesn't. The deed is...
- ..it's better than nothing, but... - This can't be happening.
I'll talk to him,
before he gets to Elmdale, see where things stand.
If there is any way you can win this, I will fight like hell
so you can keep what's yours.
But, if there's not, then at least you'll have fair warning.
- Either way, I'm not running. - I'm not asking you to, yet.
But the choice might come down to running or dying.
My son, Seymour, betrayed me, and uh, he might do it again.
I have to be very careful.
You remember that, uh,
that emporium that Barney's widow used to run?
Mm-hmm.
- Near Ratchet Creek? - Mm-hmm.
Well, meet me there the day before the trial.
And bring me good news, my friend.
I'll see which way the wind blows.
Well, all right.
We need the colonel.
Colonel Fourier.
The Bluecoats up on Taylor Hill are signalling for reinforcements.
I think if we can press on 'em now, we can catch them unawares
and make sure they don't get in.
If they get those cannons on that hill, they'll drive us back
to where we started, sir.
Well, we are not gonna let that happen.
Come in. It's open.
I was just about to eat.
Sit down.
I'm not hungry.
It's nothing fancy, it's, uh...
It's the soup I used to make. Remember?
I heard you weren't claiming your rations.
We've got plenty now that we're selling the oil.
I love this recipe.
If you're not gonna eat, why are you here?
John's going to go to Elmdale.
I need you to go with him, make sure he's alright.
Whether I go or not, it's a suicide mission either way.
So was the war. You still managed to come back.
All right. I'll do it, on one condition.
You serious?
Don't waste it.
You really don't remember?
You used to love it.
So... So, you're going with him?
Now you have my word.
I used to write to your brigade, every week,
and never heard back.
So, one night I rode to White Creek and I gave a soldier two dollars
to tell me where the letters got delivered.
And I came back every week...
..to give him another two dollars to tell me where you were.
I spent every night embroidering handkerchiefs to pay for that.
For two years.
Tracking where you were, hoping you might answer.
Until Chambersburg. That's where I lost you.
I don't give up, and, for once, you can't either.
John means more to me than my life.
Just bring him home.
All right?
Yeah.
From your family?
Yes, sir. From my daughter.
She also sent me a picture to show me how much she has grown.
I miss my Ruth and my boys something fierce.
Their letters keep me going.
This was in the last one.
A gift from my wife.
Let's hope it keeps you lucky.
God willing.
Fourier ordered a predawn attack.
You should answer your daughter.
I've been trying to write her back for...
..more than 100 times. Can't seem to...
I run.
That's what I do, I run away.
I've never seen a man run toward a war.
I seen plenty go the other way.
Have you ever considered walking out of those gates and never look back?
Not for a second.
I guess I'll need a horse then.
I don't think it's wise you showing your face in Elmdale again.
Some folks are saying you robbed a bank.
Folks say a lot of things, don't they?
I don't want your death on my conscience.
I was about to say the same thing.
You know this is suicide, right?
It's not the first time that death is the best option for me.
Ah!
Captain! Captain.
Stay with me, okay? Stay with me!
- Captain, get up! - I have to get home.
I have to get home.
Get up! Stay with me! Captain!
A PERSON LEGITIMIZES HIMSELF BY HIS ACTS, NOT BY HIS FAITH ALONE.