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Henry Moskowitz, a
proud archaeologist on a dig at a Navajo excavation site, receives a
surprise visit from his zayda (grandfather). Sam hopes to reconcile
his grandson to himself and his Jewish faith by asking him to say
kaddish--the Hebrew prayer for the dead--for him. Henry resists the
reconciliation effort, still angry that his late parents disapproved
of his marriage to a Catholic woman. Refusing to get in the middle
of the strife, his wife leaves the dig site. Monica and Tess, posing
as a research assistant and as a photographer, soon find themselves
embroiled in a greater conflict. A group of Navajo elders led by
Edison disrupt the dig, stating the site is on sacred ground.
Although Henry quickly dismisses their claim, Sam and Edison
discover common ground in the similarities of their respective
cultures. Even Henry's student intern, Dillon New Eagle, begins to
doubt the appropriateness of the excavation. After a dream about his
own grandfather--in which Andrew enigmatically appears--Dillon joins
Sam, Monica, and the others in a boycott of the dig. Furious, Henry
stalks off. Later that night while exploring the excavation site by
himself, he falls into a hidden cave. Gathered around a campfire
with the others, Dillon recalls the story his grandfather told him
years before: the excavation site was the location of a massacre
against the Navajo by Kit Carson. Simultaneously, Henry finds
archaeological evidence of that atrocity. While looking for him Sam
encounters Tess, who reveals herself and tells him only Henry can
reconcile himself to God. Sam finds his grandson and attempts a
rescue, but the elderly man falls into the cave and succumbs to a
heart attack. Henry rails at God for his zayda's death. Monica then
appears and tells the archaeologist the peace Sam wanted for Henry
was with God, not with him. Tess subsequently leads the others to
his location, and he is rescued. Buoyed by Monica's revelation,
Henry apologizes to Edison and destroys the dig permit. Monica then
explains the kaddish is not just a prayer for the dead but is a
prayer praising God by saying God is above all praise--a gift of
peace to help the living carry on.
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