In 1980, ex-soldier Jeremiah Johnson decides to drop out from civilisation and sets out his new life as a mountain man in the Utah mountains. Thanks to a friend's help, he finally successfully learns how to get along with the Nature Mother as well as the native people of Crow, even marries the daughter of a Flathead Indian chief. His peaceful time is brutally cut short, as several hostile Native Americans targets him for their harsh vendetta, and kill his family in retaliation.