In the late 20th century, unexplained apocalyptic disasters (implied to be
World War III) devastate the world. Most knowledge and technology from the past has apparently been lost, and the former United States reverts to an unconnected
pre-industrial society. In 2013, a
nomad traveling to
St. Rose,
Oregon wanders the
Western U.S., trading performances of long-forgotten
Shakespearean plays for food and water. In one town, the nomad is forcibly conscripted into the Holnists, a
neo-feudalist militia obsessed with a misinterpreted
self-help book that serves as the region's tyrannical authority, led by General Bethlehem. The nomad, dubbed "Shakespeare" by Bethlehem, faces harassment by Captain Idaho, who mentions Colonel Getty once challenged Bethlehem for the right to lead; Bethlehem won the fight and mutilated Getty. The nomad is sent to kill a lion, but he escapes by jumping into a river. Idaho arrives and forces the nomad and another conscript to fight to the death. Idaho kills the conscript, but before he can shoot the nomad, the lion kills him. He takes refuge in an abandoned
United States Postal Service Jeep DJ, burning letters and wearing the long-deceased postal carrier's coat to stay warm. Now donning the postal uniform and mail bag, the nomad arrives in the town of Pineview and is held at gunpoint by their leader, Sheriff Briscoe. To avoid execution, the nomad pretends to be a Postman from the newly restored
U.S. government, presenting a letter addressed to elderly villager Irene March as proof. The Postman inspires teenager Ford Lincoln Mercury, who he swears in as a postal carrier and helps reactivate Pineview's abandoned
post office. Later that same evening, The Postman is approached by Abby, a lovely young townswoman. She introduces herself and her husband, Michael, to the Postman. Abby requests that he have sex with her to conceive a long-awaited child for the couple, since Michael is sterile and unable to. Though hesitant at first, the Postman eventually agrees when Abby visits him later that night and seduces him by undressing in front of him. The following morning, after his tryst with Abby, the Postman leaves for the town of Benning. He carries a pile of mail and packages left at the post office by the townspeople. Off in the distance, Abby watches the Postman depart from Pineview, looking unhappy and conflicted, but relieved to see him leaving. During a raid on Pineview, General Bethlehem learns of the Postman's claim of a restored government in
Minneapolis. Fearing his loss of power if word spreads, Bethlehem has the post office burned to the ground, kills Michael, and abducts Abby. The postman delivers letters to the town of Benning, bringing the residents hope. The town resists an attempted raid by Bethlehem, but the Postman offers to negotiate for them. General Bethlehem does not recognize the Postman, refuses to negotiate and orders him killed. Abby saves him from being killed, and the Postman rescues Abby from Bethlehem. They flee into the surrounding mountains, where they recover from their injuries over the winter in an abandoned cabin. In the spring, they leave and encounter another postal carrier, who reveals that Mercury has kept the Postal Service alive by recruiting other carriers and opening more post offices, connecting settlements across the former U.S. and inadvertently forming a quasi-society in the "Restored United States". Bethlehem, threatened by the rise of the Restored U.S., persecutes and
publicly executes postal carriers. Wracked by guilt for their deaths, the Postman reads a fake letter from the President of the Restored United States, which orders the Postal Service to disband. The Postman writes a letter to Bethlehem revealing that the Restored United States was a lie. Bethlehem orders the execution of Ford and another postal carrier. However, Ford and the other carrier do not know each other. Bethlehem redoubles his efforts to hunt down the Postman. The Postman, Abby, and a group of young postal carriers travel to Bridge City. Holnist scouts travel to Bridge City and inform their leader that Bethlehem is looking for the Postman. The Postman organizes a
Restored U.S. Army to face the Holnists in a
pitched battle. Unwilling to allow further bloodshed, the Postman reveals to Bethlehem that he is "Shakespeare" and challenges him to a one-on-one
duel for power with their troops as witnesses; per Holnist traditions, Bethlehem accepts. The Postman wins the hand-to-hand fight, but spares Bethlehem's life to maintain morale. Bethlehem tries to shoot the Postman as he turns away, but is shot dead by Getty, who disarms the Holnists. Thirty years later in 2043, the Postman dies at the age of 70. His adult daughter Hope speaks at a ceremony unveiling a
memorial honoring his efforts in St. Rose, Oregon, part of the Restored U.S., with the implication that modern society and technology have returned following the country's reestablishment. ==Cast==