An American Saga Chapter 1 Explained

Summary

• Kevin Costner’s Western epic Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 features major character deaths early on, impacting the story and setting the stage for future installments.
• Six main storylines intertwine across the cast, with tragedy striking repeatedly, including the Apache tribe defending their land and the Kittredge family’s losses.
• Key deaths include the original surveyors killed by the Apaches, James and Nathaniel Kittredge, Walter Childs, and Caleb Sykes, with Lucy Harvey’s fate remaining ambiguous.

Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 includes several major character deaths that impact the main story and the future. The Western epic is the first of four installments planned by Costner, which he writes, directs, and stars in. It serves as the introduction to the mid-1800s America setting, with different characters and storylines all just beginning by the time that Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1‘s ending occurs. The main story is still in its infancy at this point, but the movie still makes the decision to kill off a few characters this early on.

There are essentially six main storylines at play across Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1‘s cast, as different characters are on separate paths, with the potential destination of Horizon serving as the main connecting throughline. Between Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) falling for First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington), the Apache tribe protecting their land, and Costner’s Hayes Ellison going on the run with Marigold (Abbey Lee), there are a lot of moving parts. The Western setting provides opportunities for some happiness to be found, but tragedy also strikes repeatedly with Horizon‘s biggest deaths.

Horizon’s Original Surveyors

Killed By The Apaches

The first major deaths in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 happen at the very beginning of the movie. The film begins in the San Pedro Valley in 1859 as two surveyors and a young kid are shown making the outline for a new town. They are watched by two young Apaches until a bigger party of natives arrives. All three people are then found dead by a traveler, who buries them next to the river where the next iteration of Horizon is built.

The original surveyors for Horizon and the boy were all killed by the Apaches. Although the men did not attempt to start a war with the tribe, they were building on the hunting land for the Western Apaches. They were killed as the natives attempted to keep control of their land and warn others against building there. The next version of Horizon is still built over the next few years, with many families coming to live at the location within view of the three crosses used for the grave markings of the original surveyors.

James & Nathaniel Kittredge

Killed By The Apaches

More death comes in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 when the Apaches attack Horizon again. This time, many more casualties occurred during the nighttime raid, including James and Nathaniel Kittredge. This portion of the film focuses on the Kittredge family – father/husband James, mother/wife Frances, brother/son Nathaniel, and sister/daughter Elizabeth – as their house becomes a central location for the Horizon residents as they fight the Apaches. This leads to Frances and Elizabeth going underground for safety while Nathaniel defies his father’s orders to go with them.

Nathaniel decides to stay in the house with his father to help fight the Apaches more. This ultimately leads to both of them dying as the Kittredge house is overtaken by the attacking tribe. James and Nathaniel’s deaths are not directly shown on-screen, but Elizabeth identifies their bodies afterward. They were killed by Pionsenay and the other Apaches who attacked the village. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 shows Frances holding their bodies as she says goodbye to her husband and son before they are buried. It leaves Frances and Elizabeth to join Gephardt and start a new life.

Walter Childs

Killed By Caleb Sykes

Another major death in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 happens when Walter Childs is killed by Caleb Sykes. Walter is introduced as part of Lucy’s storyline after she takes her son and nearly kills Mr. Sykes. Lucy married Walter Childs, who was in the process of trying to sell their land. They go to a meeting to try and finalize a deal, and it is only after arriving at their destination that they learn that the deal is a farce. They had been brought to the house as part of the Sykes brothers’ search to find Lucy.

Walter does not know about the history between his wife and the Sykes family, so he repeatedly tries to step in when they begin harassing her. After repeatedly ignoring their commands to stay out of the way, Caleb hits him in the back of the head with an object. This unintentionally kills Walter, as he bleeds out on the floor of the cabin in front of Lucy. Walter’s death was not necessarily part of the Sykes brothers’ plan, but his survival was not mandatory either. His fate leaves Lucy without her husband from this point on.

Caleb Sykes

Killed By Hayes Ellison

One of the biggest of Horizon: An American Saga‘s deaths in Chapter 1 comes when Caleb Sykes is killed. The younger of the Sykes brothers finds trouble when he is sent into Lucy’s town to try and find her son. Caleb meets Hayes Ellison on his journey up the mountain searching for the son. He attempts to befriend Hayes to some extent and exerts his power over him, but the horse trader becomes irritated with his behavior as they progress to the same destination. Caleb goes to Lucy’s cabin looking for her son, while Hayes goes there to see Marigold.

Once Caleb’s threat to the son and Marigold’s safety becomes clear, Hayes draws his gun to prepare for a duel. Hayes shoots Caleb first, but the Sykes brother does not die immediately. They continue shooting at each other around the top of the mountain until Hayes kills Caleb with several more shots. This puts Hayes, Marigold, and the baby in danger, as Hayes suspects that others will come looking for the man he just killed and want revenge. Hayes, Marigold, and the child leave the town shortly thereafter to try to find safety from the Sykes family.

Does Lucy ‘Ellen’ Harvey Die In Horizon?

Her Fate Is Ambiguous

There is a question about if Lucy dies in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 too. Her fate is not explicitly confirmed either way after the events that transpired between her, Walter, and the Sykes brothers. The movie shows Junior Sykes returning to his family with Caleb’s body, but Lucy is not shown to be with him. It is possible that she is still alive and in the family’s custody. However, there is also the potential that the Sykes’ killed Lucy if she no longer serves a purpose to them.

Since Lucy would not be able to help the Sykes family track down her son, she is not a major resource to them. It would also make sense if the Sykes family killed her, considering she nearly killed the father in her escape. Marigold even mentions at one point that both of the baby’s parents are dead. This could be speculation on her part based on the circumstances, but there is also the possibility that news of Lucy’s death spread across the land. Future installments should confirm her fate in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1.