Story Overview

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, There Will Be Blood follows the ruthless rise of oil prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis), a fiercely ambitious man determined to build an empire from the newly discovered oil fields of California. Starting as a lone silver miner who discovers oil by chance, Plainview transforms himself into a powerful entrepreneur who travels from town to town buying land and drilling for black gold. With his adopted son H.W., he presents himself as a family man in order to win the trust of local communities and secure lucrative oil rights.

Plainview’s ambitions bring him to the small town of Little Boston, where he learns about vast oil deposits beneath the land. There he encounters the young preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), whose own quest for influence and authority within the community puts him on a collision course with Plainview. As oil begins to flow and fortunes grow, the rivalry between the two men intensifies, turning their relationship into a battle of pride, power, and ideology.

Through its stark landscapes and intense character study, There Will Be Blood portrays the corrosive effects of greed, ambition, and unchecked capitalism. Plainview’s relentless pursuit of wealth gradually isolates him from everyone around him, revealing the darkness beneath his drive for success and the human cost of building an empire in the early days of the American oil industry.