A Young widower, Wayland Jackson (Kurt Russell), moves with his only daughter into a North Carolina Appalachian town in the midst of the Great Depression. He soon falls hard for Collie Wright (Kelly McGillis) who has an illegitimate child. Jackson becomes involved with her family and soon proves his worth by joining them in their activities including a bear hunt and the building of a community clock tower. However, tensions run high when the family discovers that the baby’s father, who is a member of a mean clan across the river, means to take the child back.
