Avenging Angel

The film opens in the Old West where Colonel Cusack, a greedy land baron, orders his henchman Mr. Quinn to 'kill 'em all' to clear squatters off his land. During a Sunday service, a group of terrified homesteaders seeks sanctuary in a local church led by a devoted Preacher. Quinn and his men surround the church, demanding the squatters be handed over. When the Preacher refuses, the outlaws set the building on fire. The Preacher's wife, Sarah, and daughter, Rachel, are trapped inside and perish. Devastated and disillusioned, the Preacher buries his family and writes a final letter to his deceased wife, explaining that he can no longer minister to others while his heart is filled with a 'thirst for vengeance.' He leaves his life of peace behind to become a bounty hunter. Months later, the Preacher has gained a reputation as a cold-blooded hunter of men. He returns to the area of Little Springs to collect bounties on the Dodge brothers. He takes up residence in a boarding house run by Maggie, a former saloon girl with a young daughter named Amelia. While staying there, he begins to show glimpses of his former self, reading 'Alice in Wonderland' to Amelia and helping Maggie with chores. Meanwhile, Colonel Cusack is still attempting to drive squatters off 'his' land, despite the squatters claiming they paid him in gold for it. The squatters are led by a man named Elijah, who maintains a philosophy of non-violence similar to the Preacher's former life. Conflict escalates when Quinn's men raid the squatter camp at night, killing Elijah. The Preacher is torn between his promise to his late wife to never seek revenge and his desire to stop Cusack's cruelty. After Quinn's men attack Maggie to get to him, the Preacher realizes he cannot remain neutral. He joins the squatters as they prepare for a final stand. When Quinn and a posse of 'concerned citizens' arrive to slaughter the unarmed homesteaders, the Preacher intervenes. He outdraws and kills Quinn in a tense standoff, then scares off the remaining townsfolk by exposing Quinn's history as a child killer. In the final act, the Preacher infiltrates Cusack's ranch, disarms his guards, and forces the Colonel at gunpoint to sign a legal bill of sale for the squatters' land. Instead of killing Cusack, he leaves him with the haunting words 'Welcome to hell, colonel,' and returns to Maggie's home, suggesting a potential future of peace.