A small-town fable about violence and redemption, it is the final triumph of Frank Borzage, one of Hollywood's most neglected masters. Stigmatized from infancy by the fate of his criminal father, young Danny is bruised and bullied until one night, in a fit of rage, he kills his most persistent tormenter. As the police close in around him, Danny makes a desperate bid for the love of the dead man's fiancé, a schoolteacher who sees the wounded soul behind his aggression.