Emily is killed by dogs with a disease similar to rabies, and all that's left is her little red bow. Her father, Ed, and his relation Uncle Matt set out to hunt down the animals. They eventually find and shoot them, but not before the last one escapes and infects other pets in the community. Ed and Uncle Matt go around to the households with the diseased animals and shoot them, even when the owners are particularly distraught or there isn’t clear proof of infection. At each house, Uncle Matt uses a fake version of Emily’s red bow to convince the owners that the drastic action is necessary. The priest, Father Terry, refuses to allow them to shoot his perfectly healthy dog as a preventative measure, but this angers Uncle Matt so much due to his previous high school grudge against Terry that he resolves to stake out the priest’s dog until he finally gets proof that it is diseased. Still, he won’t let them kill the dog, and wants it to live out its last days with him.  Uncle Matt organizes a town referendum with hundreds of people and even designs posters and T-shirts with propaganda about fighting the disease. He makes an impassioned speech about protecting the community, and the town votes to allow the dog hunters to take drastic action at their discretion should they suspect a pet of disease. Afterwards, the men go and kill Terry’s dog. Ed asks his wife what she thinks, and she agrees they should kill every animal in town to prevent their tragedy from reoccurring. As the men go on to create a group that kills every pet in town, enacting policies against owners who resist, Ed reflects on the pride and honor that referendum in town gave him as he continues to honor his daughter’s memory.