Yes, and no. American Primeval is a work of historic fiction. Meaning, Sara and Isaac’s story is made up, as is the story of Jacob and Abish. However, the backdrop of American Primeval is based on reality.

The series, now streaming on Netflix, depicts the brutality with which the Mormons sought to create a new world for their beliefs, the pride with which the native people held onto their ancestral lands, and the tragedy of the people just seeking to make a new home in the chaos. But is any of it true?

Netflix‘s new limited series American Primeval gives a startling look at the American West in the mid-1800s, when Native Americans came to deadly blows with Mormon soldiers, pioneers looking for a new life,

American Primeval ’s director and executive producer Peter Berg ( Friday Night Lights) knows that depicting real events isn’t without its challenges, and while much of what’s depicted on screen is dramatized,

In this episode alone, for example, Sara, Isaac, Devin, and Two Moons trudge their way through blinding snows on horseback, until one goes lame and stomps Devin’s leg to smithereens in its distress after Isaac tries and fails to shoot it to death.

The American Primeval ending is reflective of the way the series started with epic death and destruction. We shared a list of the major deaths in the season finale.

Ahead, find out about the cast of American Primeval and their roles. Betty Gilpin’s Sara is a wealthy mother searching for her husband and father-in-law, setting out on a journey with her son Devin while also harboring a secret that threatens everything: She killed a man back in Boston and is now likely on the run.