Joseph Donnelly loses his father and their home after the landlord's men burn it down over unpaid rent. • Joseph goes to kill the landlord, Daniel Christie, but Christie's headstrong daughter Shannon (Nicole Kidman) accidentally stabs him with a pitchfork. • Shannon dreams of escaping her suffocating life to claim free land in America during the upcoming land rush. When a duel with her fiancé falls through, she and Joseph board a ship together. • Hard Times: The pair arrive in Boston, but Shannon's silver is stolen immediately, leaving them destitute. They share a room in a crowded boarding house while posing as siblings. • Bare-Knuckle Boxing: Joseph discovers he is a natural fighter and takes up bare-knuckle boxing to earn money. • The Fall: Joseph wins several matches, but he loses a major, high-stakes fight. Corrupt employers rob them of their remaining money, and Shannon is accidentally shot during a sudden raid, leading Joseph to return her to her wealthy visiting family. • The Separation: Joseph takes grueling work on the railroad while dreaming of the western frontier. • The Land Run: Re-inspired, Joseph travels to Oklahoma to take part in the historic Oklahoma Land Run of 1893. • The Reunion: On the frontier, he crosses paths with Shannon once more, who has run away from her fiancé Stephen Chase again. After a fierce race and a confrontation with Chase that almost gets him killed, Joseph stakes his claim on a plot of land, and he and Shannon finally declare their love for one another