An old man named Gavin tells his nephew about the origin of the town of Jefferson, Mississippi, back in the 1800s. Originally Native American land, there are a few buildings that make up a trading post. As white settlers move in, the process of dispossession occurs slowly. The first white people occupy the land are Louis Grenier, the first cotton planter; Doctor Habersham, a widower; and Alexander Holston, a mail carrier. As more people come to the area, Holston brings mail and newspapers from Nashville to the settlement every two weeks. He doesn't carry a gun, so he gets a massive 15 lb. lock to secure his mail pouch. People continue to move to the area. Holston retires and a younger generation run the area. Once, a gang of criminals cause trouble in the settlement and get kicked out. A band of militia who are passing through find the gang and bring them back to the settlement because it has a jail. Some people form a mob intent on lynching the gang members, but a few lawful people lock the gang in a jail cell before the mob can get to them. With Holston's big lock, they fasten the criminals in, as much to restrain them as to keep them safe from the mob. A messenger is sent to Nashville to notify them and to collect the reward that had been offered for the capture of this gang. That night, a council forms to decide what to do once they get the reward. Outside, however, the mob gathers along with the militia, who want the reward for themselves. The two groups have a bon fire. One of the lawful people, Compson, adds an opiate to the fire, knocking out the rioters. They lock all these people in another cell before heading off to bed. In the morning, they are shocked to find that the entire wall of the jail is missing, along with the cell door, lock, and gang members. Holston is not happy about this, prompting a long search. The local Native Americans help, but, collectively, they are unable to find the gang members or the lock. A few of the men, including Compson, Ratcliffe the trader, Dr. Peabody, and the new mailman Pettigrew, decide to give up the search. Compson, Peabody, and Ratcliffe brainstorm what to do, deciding to offer Holston fifteen dollars to compensate him for the missing lock. In order to pay for it, they will add it as an expense on the Native Americans' ledger and get money from the US government. Holston doesn't want money; he wants his lock back. They offer to spend fifty dollars to get a new lock made, but at this point Pettigrew steps in, saying that what they're doing is illegal: adding the lock to the mail bag in the first place, which involved cutting slits in the mail bag, was destruction of property, and charging the lock to the Bureau of Indian Affairs is another crime. Compson, Peabody, and Ratcliffe worry that Pettigrew will turn them in, so they concoct another plan and bring it to him the following day. They tell Pettigrew that they're going to start a town, getting funds from the government to fix the wall of the jail and add another room on for a courthouse as well. They tell Pettigrew that they'll name the town after him, whose full name is Thomas Jefferson Pettigrew. At this, Pettigrew decides to help them disguise the funds for the lock on the ledger after all, satisifed that he will have something to pass on his legacy, as he is not married nor does he have any children.