Set against the backdrop of 19th-century post-Civil War America, where life was cruel and cheap, the stories of six different people, united by death, unfold. Starting with "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", cheerful Buster Scruggs, the deadly gunslinger with a lighting-fast right hand and a lovely singing voice, is about to discover that talent alone is not enough. Next up in "Near Algodones", an ambitious bank robber has a rendezvous with the gallows, and in "Meal Ticket", an ageing travelling impresario goes the extra mile to grab the audience's attention. Following, in "All Gold Canyon", an unsuccessful, silver-haired prospector is convinced that his luck is going to change in the middle of nowhere. Then, in "The Gal Who Got Rattled", beautiful Alice finds out that romance and stray bullets don't mix. Finally, in "The Mortal Remains", five passengers crammed in a stagecoach share life philosophies, only to realise that looks can be deceiving.—Nick Riganas