In the first Highlander movie, it is established that immortals are rare human beings born with "the Quickening." Once they have experienced their First Death, they will stop aging and heal from any wound except the loss of their head. The Quickening connects them to nature and allows them to sense each other, and one immortal can absorb the Quickening power of another if they behead them. For this reason, some immortals hunt each other, a "Game" with only one rule: never fight on holy ground. It is said that when only a few immortals are left, they will be drawn to "a faraway land" to fight for the Prize: the combined power of all immortals before them, granting enough power and knowledge to enslave humanity.
Connor MacLeod is born in 1518 in Glenfinnan, Scotland near the shores of Loch Shiel. In 1536, he enters his first battle when the Clan MacLeod fights the Clan Fraser. An immortal known as The Kurgan allies with Clan Fraser, sensing MacLeod is an immortal and deciding to take his head before the young man learns his true nature and becomes an experienced fighter. Kurgan delivers a fatal wound but is attacked by others of the Clan MacLeod before he can take Connor's head. After he recovers fully healed, Connor's family and lover accuse him of witchcraft and demand he be burned at the stake. Clan chieftain Angus MacLeod decides to simply banish Connor. The exiled man roams the Scottish Highlands, eventually becoming a blacksmith and marrying Heather MacDonald in 1539. In 1541, he meets the immortal Egyptian Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, who teaches him his true nature and how to fight. While Connor only wants a family and a quiet life, Ramírez informs him immortals cannot have children and argues it is their duty to make sure evil people such as the Kurgan don't win the Prize. "In the end, there can be only one."[7]
While Connor is away one night, the Kurgan duels Ramírez and kills him, then rapes Heather before leaving, thinking MacLeod has moved on from Scotland. After Heather dies of old age, Connor wanders the world, adopting the katana of Ramírez as his own. During World War II, he rescues a young Jewish girl named Rachel Ellenstein from Nazis, adopting her as a daughter. By 1985, the immortal Highlander is living in New York as an antique dealer called "Russell Nash."
In 1985, the Gathering occurs. Connor meets forensics scientist Brenda Wyatt who uncovers his true nature. When the Kurgan and the Highlander are the last two immortals left alive, Brenda witnesses their final battle. Connor wins the Prize, becoming a mortal man who can have children and gaining the power to know the thoughts and dreams of all human beings. Returning to Scotland with Brenda, he is relieved that the Game is over and hopes to unite the world and help people reach greater understanding of each other.
