Mattie Ross father was murdered by one of his hired hands, Tom Chaney, when she was 14; Chaney made off with her father's horses and two of his California gold pieces. While collecting his body, Mattie inquires about a U.S. Marshal to hire to track down Chaney. She is given three recommendations, but chooses to hire Rooster Cogburn, because he is described as the most merciless. He repeatedly rebuffs her attempts to hire him.