A young Wyatt Harrison grows dissatisfied with the drudgery of working on the family farm in northern Alabama and contending with an unpredictable father during the early 1870's. His decision to leave home and find a life more to his liking is soon immersed in trouble. Following a series of conformations with a co-worker, he is attacked one night with deadly intentions. The resulting fight is brutal, leaving two seriously injured and another fatally wounded. This time Wyatt runs from the law and his employer's henchmen.

Along the way he is joined by a young woman, who is also involved in some deadly actions of her own in which she involves Wyatt. Together they travel the Natchez Trace heading away from their troubles only to find even more problems at nearly every turn. Their involvement with a Federal Marshall takes an unusual turn which both relieves them and causes a new struggle as well.

Wyatt is drawn closer to his faith in God and struggles with how to explain it to Mabel, who has no understanding about what he is going through.