The Drifter

In French Canada, Louis Valjean is known as "The Drifter," a man who is at once formidable and philosophical. When he was much younger, his little brother Pierre left home to be away from the criminal influence of his family; the Drifter has since wandered in search of him. He meets up with "Whitey" Matt Farlane, an ex-convict whose wife and daughter died when he was incarcerated twenty years ago. The Drifter and Whitey walk to Lebeque, a small lumber town, where the Drifter hopes to meet beautiful women. In the saloon, the Drifter prevents John McNary, who owns a lumber company, from being shot by Montana, who works for his competitor, Paul Latour. McNary believes Paul brought Montana in to kill him, while Paul believes McNary has been tampering with his machinery. McNary's daughter Bonnie is in love with Paul, but McNary warns her to stay away from him. McNary hires Whitey and the Drifter as foremen and the Drifter falls in love with Bonnie. When Montana tries to kill the Drifter, he accidentally kills a priest instead, and the Drifter is forced to kill him. Nonetheless, he speaks kindly of Montana at his funeral. After a few months, Whitey arranges for the Drifter to meet Bonnie late at night at a deserted cabin. At the same time, he arranges for Paul to meet Bonnie at the same cabin so they can elope. Whitey then confronts McNary and reveals himself to be McNary's ex-partner, whom McNary had framed and sent to prison. Whitey wants vengeance because McNary let his wife and daughter die, and plans to kill him and frame Paul, to make McNary's daughter suffer as he believes his daughter must have. Knowing the Drifter's reputation with women, he informs McNary he has arranged for the Drifter to be alone with Bonnie. Whitey stabs McNary, who confesses that Bonnie is actually Whitey's daughter, and dies. Shocked, Whitey rushes to the cabin, where the Drifter has refrained from seducing Bonnie because he really loves her and realizes she is in love with Paul. Bonnie shows the Drifter her marriage license revealing Paul's real name, Pierre Valjean, and the Drifter discovers he has finally found his brother. When Bonnie tells the Drifter Paul ran away from his family because he was ashamed that they were fur thieves, the Drifter realizes he must not reveal his true identity and says only that he was a friend of Paul's brother. After the storm that has been raging subsides, the Drifter finds Whitey, who never reached the cabin, pinned under a fallen tree. Before he dies, Whitey confesses to McNary's murder and informs him that he is Bonnie's real father, but that he does not want her to know this. After the Drifter clears Paul of McNary's murder, he tells him his brother died, but had loved him very much, and leaves to travel on the road once again.