In the 1820s, a hunting party in the uncharted American wilderness strives to survive and seek profits from the lucrative fur trade. The expedition is led by Captain Andrew Henry with frontiersman and expert tracker Hugh Glass as one of the company's most seasoned individuals. While scouting ahead, Glass endures a brutal bear attack that leaves him severely injured and near death. As the group struggles with the decision on how to proceed, it becomes clear that Glass's condition greatly hinders their movement and safety, with hostile Native American tribes and the harsh elements posing a constant threat.

The party decides that a few men will stay behind with Glass to help him recover or give him a proper burial should he succumb to his injuries. John Fitzgerald, a trapper motivated by self-interest, agrees to stay for extra pay, along with young Jim Bridger and Glass's half-native son, Hawk. When the situation becomes direr, and the fear for their own lives grows, Fitzgerald takes a drastic and treacherous action that he conceals with a deceitful story. Left for dead in the unforgiving wilderness, Glass is propelled by sheer will and the love for his family to survive. Alone and unarmed, he must navigate a brutal environment, evading both natural dangers and hostile parties, as he embarks on a relentless quest fueled by vengeance and redemption.