In 1984 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a young Amish widow named Rachel Lapp attends her husband Jacob’s funeral with her son, Samuel, and father-in-law, Eli Lapp, by her side. Soon after, Rachel and Samuel take a train to Baltimore, Maryland, to visit Rachel’s sister. Daniel Hochleitner, a single man from Rachel’s community, sees them off, and waits expectantly for her return. While they transfer trains in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Samuel looks wide-eyed around the terminal. Rachel stands outside as her young son uses the public restroom. While in the stall, Samuel witnesses two men enter and kill another man by slitting his throat. Afterward, one of the attackers checks the stalls, and Samuel crawls underneath to escape unseen. Detective John Book arrives to investigate the murder and questions Samuel. John tells the boy that the man killed was a policeman, and asks for Samuel’s help to identify the killers. Samuel says he saw only one of the killers and points to John’s African-American partner, Sergeant Hilton Carter, implying that the man was black. With a suspect in mind, John drives Rachel and Samuel to a bar and leaves them outside, ignoring Rachel’s protests. Moments later, he drags a man out and presses his face against the glass for Samuel to identify, but he is not the killer. Rachel demands they be let go, wanting no part of the “English” world, but John orders them not to leave town, as Samuel is a material witness to a homicide. Fearing they will flee, John takes them to stay with his sister, Elaine, for the night. The next day, John brings them to the police station to look at a line-up of men, but Samuel does not see the murderer. He shows Samuel a book of police photos at his desk, and while he takes a telephone call, Samuel wanders around the office. The boy stops and stares when he sees a picture of Narcotics Officer McFee in a trophy case. John notices Samuel’s reaction and follows the boy, who points at the photograph. In the busy office, John silently lowers Samuel’s hand and nods that he understands Samuel is identifying the killer. Later, John goes to the home of Chief Paul Schaeffer, and tells him that McFee is one of the killers. He tells Schaeffer that $22 million worth of confiscated drugs went missing, implying a motive for McFee’s involvement in the murder of a fellow officer. McFee is on vacation so they cannot question him, but Schaeffer tells John not to reveal his knowledge to anyone else. Later, in a parking garage, McFee approaches John and the men engage in a shootout. After McFee flees, John realizes he has been wounded. However, he races to his sister’s home and borrows her car to take Rachel and Samuel to a safe location. He telephones his partner, Carter, and tells him to destroy the paperwork related to their investigation, and that he is going into hiding for a few days. He warns Carter that Schaeffer is involved and to be careful. Carter destroys the files containing Rachel and Samuel’s information. Later, Schaeffer and McFee visit Elaine to learn John’s whereabouts, but she reveals nothing. Meanwhile, John drives Rachel and Samuel back to their farm in rural Pennsylvania. He turns down Rachel’s offer to stay for coffee, but as John drives away, his untreated wound causes him to crash into a birdhouse. Rachel rushes to help him and asks why he did not go to the hospital. John warns that the hospital would have reported his gunshot would to police, which would have led the killers to them. Rachel’s father-in-law, Eli, loads John onto a wagon and takes him into their home. A local man with medical knowledge is brought in to examine John. The man sees that the bullet exited his body but warns of a potentially life-threatening infection. Rachel tells Eli that if John’s whereabouts are discovered Samuel’s life will be in danger. Eli consents to keep him there and hides John’s automobile in the barn. Rachel nurses John as he suffers a high fever and goes in and out of consciousness. Meanwhile, Schaeffer telephones Lancaster police to try to locate Rachel Lapp, but the officer tells him there are over 14,000 families named Lapp in the Amish community. John awakens to a group of elders standing over him and learns he has been sleeping for two days. Sometime later, Samuel finds John’s gun in a dresser drawer, and John yells at him not to touch it, explaining the dangers of a loaded gun. John removes the bullets then lets Samuel hold the firearm. Rachel enters the room and reprimands John, demanding he respect their Amish beliefs while in their home. He apologizes and gives Rachel the gun to store in a safe place. Eli explains to his grandson that guns are meant to take lives, and tells the boy that only God should have that power. As he recovers, Rachel gives John her husband’s clothes to wear so he does not stand out in their community. John goes into town with Eli to make a telephone call to his partner. Carter warns that police are searching for him. Later, Samuel shows John around the farm, and Eli asks for his help, waking him at 4:30 in the morning to milk the cows. Daniel Hochleitner comes to court Rachel, and introduces himself to John. Later, John uses Eli’s woodworking tools to repair the birdhouse, and Rachel is impressed at his carpentry skills. She invites him to help at a neighbors’ barn-raising. At night, John works to repair the battery in his automobile, and Rachel assists him. When John gets the car radio working, he asks Rachel to dance with him. As they laugh and dance in the barn, feelings develop between them. Eli enters and reprimands Rachel, but she proclaims that she has “committed no sin.” Eli warns that her behavior could cause her to be shunned by the community. Elsewhere, Chief Schaeffer questions Carter about John’s whereabouts. In time, the Amish community gathers for the barn-raising, and John works alongside the men. During lunch, Rachel shows favoritism by serving John first, and Daniel is displeased. A woman warns Rachel that people are talking about her and the “Englishman.” That night, John watches through an opened door as Rachel washes herself. She boldly turns to face him exposing her bare breasts. The next day, John tells her that if they had made love he would have to stay or she would have to leave. John returns to town to telephone Carter and learns his partner was killed in the line of duty. John calls Schaeffer and threatens him. While riding home in Eli’s carriage, the locals harass the Amish. Eli warns John not to respond, but John confronts them and beats them. His actions cause a stir in town and word spreads to local police. At the farm, John puts up the repaired birdhouse, and Rachel realizes he is planning to leave the following morning. She removes her bonnet and runs outside to meet him. They lock eyes before kissing passionately. In the morning, Schaeffer, McFee, and Officer Fergie arrive with shotguns and burst into the farm home. When Eli Lapp shouts a warning to John, McFee hits him in the face. John and Samuel hide in the barn, and John instructs the boy to run to the neighbor’s house. John struggles to get his automobile started as the men search for him. Fergie shoots at John, and hearing the gunfire, Rachel becomes hysterical with worry over her son. John lures Fergie to a corn silo, and buries him alive in an avalanche of grain. Meanwhile, Samuel returns to the house and shows himself to Rachel and Eli, but remains hidden from Schaeffer. As Schaeffer orders Rachel and Eli out of the house, Eli motions to Samuel to ring the bell and sound a warning to the community. John digs in the corn for Fergie’s shotgun, and shoots McFee as he approaches. Samuel rings the bell, and Schaeffer sends Eli to stop him. Holding a gun to Rachel’s head, Schaeffer confronts John, who screams for Rachel’s release and surrenders his gun. The neighbors run to the farm in response to the bell, and Schaeffer forces John outside to join them. John exclaims that Schaeffer cannot kill them all then takes the shotgun from Schaeffer’s hands. Schaeffer falls to the ground, and local police arrive to arrest him. John puts on his “English” clothes and bids farewell to Samuel. He and Rachel lock eyes but neither says a word to each other. She watches as he slowly walks away.