As a railroad laborer in the American West at the beginning of the twentieth century, Robert Grainier is devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter in a wildfire, which he believes is a curse from a man he attempted to kill when he was younger. After their deaths, he rebuilds his cabin in the wilderness with the company of a small dog, and resumes a life of work. Along the way, he meets and helps several local figures, including a wolf-girl who he believes is his long-lost daughter. Grainier buys a wagon from a couple in exchange for taking their dead son's body down to the morgue and subsequently uses it to drive around the area, doing odd jobs and helping the locals. At one point, he takes a man whose dog shot him for medical help. Later, he helps a friend escort a widow who does not want to marry him back to their hometown. As Grainier's life unfolds, he witnesses American industrialization and the rise of planes, cars, and telegraphs. Ultimately, he experiences a lonely death.