The main narrative of RDR2 takes place entirely in 1899. The members of the Van der Linde gang trudge through the snowy mountains of Colter, searching for a hideout in the wake of a ferry heist gone wrong. The police, corroborating with the Pinkerton private detective agency, swarmed the ferry, resulting in a destructive gunfight that came to be known as RDR2's Blackwater Massacre. Dutch van der Linde and his right hand, Hosea Matthews, try desperately to keep their gang free and morale high as they mourn their losses. Arthur Morgan drives the narrative as he works to assist his leader Dutch, whom he sees as a fether figure for taking him off the streets. Searching for shelter and supplies, Arthur, Micah Bell, and Dutch find a homestead occupied by members of a rival gang, the O'Driscolls. This incites the first major conflict of the game, introduces the feud between the Van der Linde gang and the O'Driscolls, and establishes tension between Micah, Arthur, and Dutch that plays a major role in the plot. The three characters frequently differ in opinion, beginning with the O'Driscolls' presence in Colter. After fighting off the O'Driscolls, Arthur finds Sadie Adler, the homestead's actual owner, hiding in the cellar. With her husband killed by the O'Driscolls, she agrees to shelter with the Van der Lindes. Sadie is timid and cold at first, but she eventually comes into her own as one of the most important characters in RDR2. Before that, though, Arthur and Javier Escuella must find John Marston, After a harrowing trek into the mountains, Arthur and Javier find John wounded in the snow, having been attacked by wolves. After getting him safely back to camp and chastising him for his irresponsibility, the story's attention shifts to the O'Driscolls, whose own camp is nearby. Along with Javier, Micah, Dutch, Lenny Summers, and Bill Williamson, Arthur heads there to deal with Colm O'Driscoll, the gang's leader. This is the first time players see Dutch breaking his own code of honor by seeking vengeance, which he justifies by saying it's to keep the O'Driscolls from attacking. However, he also admits he's interested in poaching a job the O'Driscolls were working on. Dutch quickly reveals this to be a lie, however, when Colm is seen fleeing and Dutch does nothing about it, stating it wouldn't be fun to steal Colm's score if he wasn't alive to learn of it. After the ensuing shootout with the O'Driscolls who remain behind, Arthur captures one of the rival gang members, Kieran Duffy. In one of RDR2's more surprising moments, Dutch actually spares Kieran and tentatively allows him to join the gang despite Arthur's protests. With the intel from the O'Driscoll camp, Dutch leads the gang on a train robbery. The train is owned by Leviticus Cornwall, a fictional early American oil tycoon combining elements of robber barons like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. The robbery sparks Cornwall's vendetta against the gang. He sends Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross after the Van der Lindes, on top of their troubles from the Blackwater Massacre and their feud with the O'Driscolls. At this point, Dutch begins realizing the gang's outlaw lifestyle is coming to an end, as America is quickly instituting law and order on its western frontier. Out Of The Mountains, Into The Heartland Once things have cooled down, the gang relocates to New Hanover under Dutch's new plan: they're all searching for work lucrative enough for the entire gang to retire from their criminal life. Arthur and a few others head into Valentine, to get supplies for their new camp at Horseshoe Overlook and scout for jobs. During the mission, a man recognizes Arthur from Blackwater, foreshadowing how tightly the circle is closing on the gang. You came across there gang. Arthur: “found her all lost wandering about thought we could help her like we did with Sadie.” Dutch: “She could be one of the Pinkertons, or another O’Driscoll for all we know" The whole gang stares at her