Wade Spaulding is obsessed with getting justice for a wrong done his sister, Emily, by the deceased Frank Cullen. The justice he seeks is to be extracted from the remaining Cullen family. Hannah Cullen becomes an unwitting accomplice to Spaulding as he puts his diabolical plan into action. To complicate matters, Leah Cullen Hargrove and her husband Will -- along with the elder O'Haras, -- befriend a colored couple, the McDermotts, looking for work and a home. Spaulding's bigotry is ignited and burns in a white heat, melding with his plan for justice. Join the Hargroves, the O'Haras, and the McDermotts as they struggle to survive against a fire, a hanging, and an attempted murder -- all perpetrated by a demented man consumed by revenge and greed.