During the Great Depression, a drought is wreaking havoc on a small, destitute Kansas town. Bill Starbuck (Burt Lancaster), a slick grifter, arrives in town, promising he can make it rain in exchange for $100. His offer is accepted by H. C. Curry (Cameron Prudhomme), a rancher whose spinster daughter, Lizzie (Katharine Hepburn), is desperate for a suitor. Lizzie finally finds confidence when Starbuck, ever the smooth talker, convinces her she's beautiful.