A young boy's frank essay on moral principles is erroneously published in the local paper, and the resulting fallout is mayhem for both the boy's family and the paper's editors.

In discussing the altercations witnessed over the course of the day, Stephen Elwin and his family grapple with question of whether the downtrodden and those burdened by prejudice are nonetheless responsible for their own breeding and behavior. Elwin’s earnest and idealistic daughter Margaret valiantly defends their maid, who happens to be Black and also named Margaret, until she witnesses 'the other Margaret' breaking a piece of artwork.

A schoolmarm attempts to teach a group of men about justice, time, and irony in a repurposed saloon after they vote to have her hung for her disciplinarian ways.

A woman on a grand jury hears the case of an older woman who was brutally raped by one of her former students. She attempts to understand the different ways the story disturbs her.

When a public defender living a dreary life walks in on his wife cheating on him, she apologizes to him by grazing his skull with a bullet and fleeing. Intent on finding her, the husband rescues a witch from an untimely death before the two join forces to decide his wife's fate.

After their father's accidental murder of a white man is revealed, two young Black girls scramble to save their father from a lifetime of prison.

A high school boy makes a habit of stealing cars, picking up girls, and skipping school. When he begins to worry that he is getting into too much trouble, the boy must decide whether to seek help or continue his criminal lifestyle.

A wife leaves her husband in order to ensure his ultimate salvation after they are rejected from the Christian church for their polygamist marriage.

A grocer in desperate need of help enlists a lawyer to fix his problems, though he refuses to trust the lawyer enough to actually receive help.

A little girl acts out on purpose for the first time when she hacks her family's knives after her father told her not to.