Frequent beatings from his father and the casual dismissal of his childhood fears lead to the deterioration of a boy's mental health, and the loss of the only 'real' person in the world leaves him in despair.

After his car breaks down at the base of a steep hill, a man encounters a stranger and walks with him to the ranch at the top of the hill, both seeking to solve the mystery of why the stranger’s wife has been taking apart their ranch piece by piece.

When a young boy's brother is killed by cotton pickers in Georgia during the 1950s, the boy becomes violent toward his friends. Meanwhile, the boy's father questions his role in his dead son's life.