The film is set in Quebec, New France, 1634. Captain Champlain(Jean Brousseau) approves a proposal by the Jesuits to travel up the St. Lawrence River and restablish contact with a Jesuit mission in the Huron nation. A young Jesuit is chosen to lead the expedition, Father Laforgue(Lothaire Bluteau). Daniel(Aden Young), a young Frenchman working in the outpost is also chosen after he expresses an interest in returning to France and entering the priesthood. Champlain uses pots, knives, hammers and beads to barter for the services of Chomina(August Schellenberg), an Algonquin, to take the men to the Huron mission. Chomina brings his wife(Tantoo Cardinal), young son, and daughter, Annuka(Sandrine Holt), as well as several other men and their families. The group departs and heads up river, but turmoil soon engulfs the expedition. Several of the men fear Laforgue and believe he might be a demon, they employ a sorcerer, who verifies their fears. The group contemplate killing Laforgue, but settle on abandoning him. Daniel, who has grown to love Annuka during the journey, also abandons Laforgue. Laforgue resigns himself to die in the wilderness if it is Gods will. Chomina has a change of heart and returns with his family and Daniel to continue the journey with Laforgue. However, Iroquois discover them and kill Chominas wife before capturing the others. They brutally torture the group, killing Chominas son out-of-hand. Annuka sacrifices her dignity to free the group. They head upriver, but Chomina is now dying, due to wounds received in the encounter with the Iroqouis. Chomina wants to die peacefully, but Laforgue begs him to convert. He sends them on their way, still unbaptised. Annuka and Daniel take Laforgue still further, before leaving him within walking distance of the Huron settlement. When Laforgue enters the settlement, he finds the Hurons are decimated by scarlet fever. One of the missionaries has been killed and the other is dying. The Hurons debate on whether or not to kill Laforgue, some believe the fever is a curse, others that baptisim will cure the sickness. Finally, Laforgue baptizes the entire settlement. An epilogue describes the almost immediate collapse of the Huron nation and its defeat at the hands of the Iroqouis.