Let Him Go opens in 1961 on a ranch in Montana, where George Blackledge, a retired sheriff, and his wife Margaret live after the death of their beloved son James. They’re still grieving, and family life is shaken: their daughter-in-law, Lorna, has remarried a man named Donnie Weboy, and together with her toddler son Jimmy, they’ve vanished from George and Margaret’s lives. Margaret senses danger in Lorna’s new home and in Donnie’s behavior toward her and Jimmy. Her instincts prompt action.

When Margaret witnesses Donnie being vicious to Jimmy and his mother, it becomes clear Jimmy is not safe. George is reluctant at first, but Margaret persuades him to mount a search to bring Jimmy back to safety. Their journey from Montana leads them toward a place in the Dakotas, where the Weboy family—Donnie’s kin—lives off the grid, largely beyond the reach of law enforcement. The Weboys have a reputation for cruelty, secrecy, and strong loyalty among themselves.

Along the way, George and Margaret confront both physical hazards and emotional ones. They meet people who give misleading directions, face hostility in remote towns, and are burdened by fear—both of what might happen to Jimmy, and what Margaret and George may have to do to save him. The tension builds, especially as George’s old lawman instincts clash with Margaret’s steadfast maternal resolve. Their grief over losing James is never far behind, and it shapes every decision they make.

Once they reach the Weboy property, things escalate swiftly. The Weboys are not merely dysfunctional—they are dangerous. Blanche Weboy, Donnie’s mother, is a steep obstacle: proud, authoritarian, and deeply suspicious. When Margaret tries to negotiate, Blanche’s hospitality gives way to menace. Attempts to get Jimmy back are thwarted; there’s violence, betrayal, and sacrifice required. Margaret and George must use cunning, courage, and sheer force of will to push forward.

The climax delivers heartbreaking confrontation. George is wounded; Margaret risks everything. In a dramatic stand, Margaret finally takes action to rescue Jimmy, even as the Weboy clan fights back. The toll is high—losses happen, relationships fracture. But at last, with Jimmy safe, Margaret and George begin their journey home. The rescue comes at the cost of irreversible changes: George is critically injured, and Margaret is forced to face that some wounds among the living are as deep as those caused by death.

In its aftermath, Let Him Go is less about grand victories and more about what people will endure to protect the ones they love. Margaret mourns not just for James, but for the innocence lost along the way. George, proud and rugged, softens in his recognition that sometimes love demands more than strength—it demands letting go. The film ends with Jimmy safe in their care, and Margaret gazing ahead, aware that life is never perfect—but that protecting family can be its own kind of redemption.