The incredibly unpleasant Dabbs Greer plays drunken bum Sam Elder, who spends his time at the bar instead of at the farm. The banker, played by Harlan Wade, tells him that he is six months behind on the mortgage, and is getting foreclosed. After some words are exchanged, Greer storms out of the bank and promptly drops dead at the feet of his son, played by the obnoxious Lee Kinsolving.
Kinsolving immediately starts yelling at Wade that he killed his father, Greer. Kinsolving vows vengeance. Town busybody Lucas McCain steps in to offer Kinsolving a place to live and a job, but also to keep an eye on the drunkard's son. As weeks go by, Lucas keeps trying to tell Kinsolving not to blame Wade, but Kinsolving continues to hate.
Kinsolving persuades Lucas to show him how to shoot, and then orders two rifles by mail. I thought that was pretty cool, especially since they were delivered in two wooden crates. Why did he order two rifles? It always seemed kind of stupid, considering he was earning very little money from McCain.
Eventually Kinsolving goes to town to kill Harlan Wade. The ridiculous twist is that Lucas had also taught Wade how to shoot, and Wade does some of the standard "trick shooting" to prove he could easily kill Kinsolving. This ending was so lame. We are too believe that from a few lessons, now Harlan Wade is shooting off match heads at 50 feet? Lucas is now the town rifle shooting teacher? I wondered if at that point everyone was going to come out of their stores with their rifles and shoot holes into pennies because Lucas taught them too??
There is even more syrupy goodness in the ending, with the kid getting a free farm paid for by Wade, and Lucas promising to help him every day. Of course, Kinsolving is never seen again, as usually happens with the brother-in-laws, best friends, etc. That appear as one-time guests.