Linda Archer, an attractive new schoolteacher, arrives in a country town and is hosted by the Gares, a farming family that works from sunup to sundown to ensure profit on their crops. Linda finds the family pleasant but reserved, except for the ambitious father, Caleb. As she slowly befriends the tough oldest daughter, Jude, and meets some of the local folk, the Gare's complex family struggles and secrets begin to surface and lead to an alarming series of events.