In the winter of 1634, a Jesuit missionary and his companion are escorted through the wilderness of Quebec by a band of Algonquin’s in hopes of finding a distant Jesuit mission. This unflinching portrayal of the colonization of French Quebec and the destruction of its native peoples takes a cynical view of both the Catholic religion and the treaties between the French and their native allies. At the time of its release the film caused some consternation with its portrayal of the French, the Algonquin and the Huron as equally violent. Bruce Beresford convincingly portrays the challenges that face the French and their native allies as they negotiate the political realities of the new colony.