A story set against the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the film is based upon the tragedy which occurred in Utah in 1857. A group of settlers, traveling on wagons, was murdered by the native Mormons. All together, about 140 souls of men, women and children, were taken. Amidst this, two young lovers-to-be, one a Mormon and the other one of the doomed settlers from Arkansas, develop a relationship in an atmosphere of suspicion and rancor.

In 1850s Appalachia, 10-year-old CADI FORBES feels responsible for her little sister’s death, so she searches out the one man she feels can take away her sin — The Sin Eater. But in her quest for redemption, Cadi uncovers a dark secret that threatens to divide her family and community.