When preacher Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston) relocates to a small, hardscrabble town on the Ohio River, he's surprised by the poor treatment he gets from the locals, but bears it quietly. His son, Jason (James Stewart), however, hates the town. Against his father's wishes, he aspires to be a doctor, and demands that his mother (Beulah Bondi) sell off her few possessions to pay for his education. When the Civil War breaks out, he finds success as a surgeon, but is estranged from his family.