1880. 堪萨斯州。以利亚·斯特恩，当地的殡仪员，过着平静而孤独的生活，直到有一天，他被要求为一个在妓院里被发现的死人进行尸检。他扮演法医病理学家的角色，发现这名男子并非自然死亡，并发现自己卷入了一场违背自己意愿的真诚调查。但斯特恩不知道这个案子的关键在于他自己的过去……
1880. Kansas. Elijah Stern, the local undertaker, leads a calm and solitary life, until one day he is asked to carry out an autopsy on a man found dead in a brothel. Taking on the role of forensic pathologist, he discovers that the man had not died of natural causes and finds himself involved, against his better wishes, in the middle of a bonafide investigation. But Stern has no idea that the key to this case lies in his own past...
