The Power

In the dusty, sun-scorched landscape of 1925 Montana, two ranching brothers, Phil (and George) Burbank, find themselves entangled in a complex web of relationships with the enigmatic Rose Gordon. The gentle-hearted George is immediately smitten with Rose, while his volatile brother Phil, heavily influenced by their late mentor "Bronco" Henry, displays a callous disregard for her son Peter's tender nature and innocent quirks.

As George and Rose prepare to tie the knot, she uses her new husband's wealth to secure Peter's future in medicine, while she takes up residence at the Burbank ranch house. Phil, however, is quick to resent Rose, convinced that she has exploited George's affluence for her own gain. His rough exterior and mocking demeanor unsettle her, and their interactions are marked by tension.

The Burbanks host a lavish dinner party, inviting their parents, the governor, and other esteemed guests. The evening's highlight is meant to be Rose's piano performance, but she is mortified when Phil, reeking of dirt, crashes the party and mocks her attempts at music-making. This embarrassing episode marks the beginning of Rose's descent into alcoholism, a coping mechanism she uses to mask her shame and despair.

As summer arrives, Peter returns to the ranch for his vacation, only to find himself the target of Phil's cruel taunts. In an effort to escape the harassment, Peter retreats to his room, where he devotes himself to dissecting animals and studying diseases. Meanwhile, Phil is seen in a secluded glade, paying homage to Bronco Henry by draping his handkerchief over his face. It is here that Peter stumbles upon a stash of explicit magazines featuring nude men, a discovery that leaves him feeling uneasy.

As the summer wears on, Phil's behavior towards Peter undergoes an unexpected transformation. He begins to display a newfound sense of decency, offering to teach Peter how to ride a horse and plait a lasso from rawhide. This sudden change is exemplified when Peter spots a shadow in the shape of a dog on a nearby mountain, impressing Phil with his keen observational skills.

As Peter ventures out on solo rides, he comes across a diseased cattle carcass, which he promptly dissects with a scalpel. Later, while working on a fencing job alongside Phil, they corner and kill a rabbit, resulting in Phil receiving an open wound on his hand.

As Peter recounts the gruesome discovery of his father's lifeless body, hanging from a tree branch, Phil listens intently. Meanwhile, Rose's addiction spirals out of control as she becomes increasingly preoccupied with her son's growing bond with Phil. The revelation that Phil disposes of hides he doesn't need by setting them ablaze only adds fuel to Rose's fire. In a defiant act, she donates the discarded hides to local Indigenous traders, who respond with a pair of worn gloves. Her rapid descent into intoxication eventually takes its toll, and George rushes to her side as she collapses. The absence of hides hinders Phil from completing Peter's lasso, leaving him feeling despondent until his young friend offers a solution - the hide cut from the lifeless cattle. As they work through the night in the barn, Phil regales Peter with the tale of Bronco Henry, who saved his life by sharing body heat during a frigid night. The air is thick with tension as Phil and Peter share a cigarette, their eyes locked in a moment of shared understanding.

The next morning, George discovers Phil's bedridden figure, wracked with sickness and infection. As Phil's delirious mind searches for Peter to hand over the finished lasso, George intervenes, whisking him away to the hospital before it's too late. The scene shifts as George selects a coffin while preparing Phil's body for burial. At the funeral, a doctor's revelation that Phil likely succumbed to anthrax leaves George perplexed - Phil was notorious for his fastidious approach to handling diseased cattle. Peter, meanwhile, has chosen not to attend the funeral. He flips through the pages of a Book of Common Prayer, ultimately settling on Psalm 22:20: "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." As he finishes the lasso with gloved hands, he watches George and a sober Rose reunite, a sly smile spreading across his face. It's clear that Peter has intentionally given Phil the diseased hide to save her life, his actions now taking on a profound significance as the story unfolds.