Eighteen years ago, John Bolton found the man who killed his brother Joe and shot it out. The man was killed and John went to prison. His son Mike is now a college track star and when the fraternity finds out about his father, he leaves college and goes back home to Hardinsville. About the only job he can get is at the Bank. At the bank, Emily takes a liking to Mike and that upsets Vint, who has his eye on Emily. Then John gets paroled by the Governor and returns to town. Mike is ashamed of his father and keeps away from him while Jim will not let him quit his bank job. All the old folks think that John did the right thing. When Mike is short $2000 at the bank, he believes that his father took the money when he was out of his cage, but cannot bring himself confront him.