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The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of
drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas
boardinghouse with an efficiency that ensures her life will
be kept in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning
for her residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son,
Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose misunderstood
behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity, derision,
and suspicion.
When David Rainwater arrives at the house looking for
lodging, he comes recommended by a trusted friend as "a man
of impeccable character." But Ella senses that admitting
Mr. Rainwater will bring about unsettling changes.
However, times are hard, and in order to make ends meet,
Ella's house must remain one hundred percent occupied. So
Mr. Rainwater moves into her house...and impacts her life
in ways Ella could never have foreseen.
The changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house
walls. Friends and neighbors who've thus far maintained a
tenuous grip on their meager livelihoods now face
foreclosure and financial ruin. In an effort to save their
families from homelessness and hunger, farmers and
cattlemen are forced to make choices that come with
heartrending consequences.
The climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for
racial tensions and social unrest. Conrad Ellis --
privileged and spoiled and Ella's nemesis since childhood --
steps into this arena of teeming hostility to exact his
vengeance and demonstrate the extent of his blind hatred
and unlimited cruelty. He and his gang of hoodlums come to
embody the rule of law, and no one in Gilead, Texas, is
safe. Particularly Ella and Solly.
In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella finds Mr. Rainwater a
calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows
other boarders, Solly...and Ella herself. Slowly, she
begins to rely on his soft-spokenness, his restraint, and
the steely resolve of his convictions.
And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those
principles will be put to the ultimate test.