[3] The film was cast with many Warner Bros. Television contract stars, including Diane McBain who replaced the original choice for the lead Anne Francis.

Pretty and shy young Georgia farmgirl Claudelle Inglish (Diane McBain), the daughter of a poor sharecropper Clyde Inglish (Arthur Kennedy) and his wife Jessie (Constance Ford), starts dating the poor neighbor, handsome farmboy Linn Varner (Chad Everett) during the spring of their senior year in high school.

Her mother objects to the relationship, fearing Claudelle will end up in the same rut she is, being married to a poor farmer, resulting in a stormy marriage.

Claudelle is forced to endure her parents' many arguments stemming from Jessie's unhappiness having to be married to Clyde, a poor but hard-working farmer.

Crawford (Claude Akins), who owns the farm where the Inglish family live, begins to secretly eye Claudelle.

Shortly before graduation, Linn takes Claudelle to a neighborhood carnival, where he wins her a musical dancing doll.

During the winter, Claudelle makes payments on a trousseau for her wedding at Harley Peasley (Frank Overton) and his wife Ernestine's (Hope Summers) general store.

By spring, Linn's letters to Claudelle have slowed down causing her to worry, but she tells herself he is just really busy in the army with no time to write.

Her joy is soon turned to sorrow as Linn tells Claudelle in his letter that, sometime back, he met a nice girl who's been very good to him and that he plans to marry her.

Jessie hears Claudelle crying and tells her she's glad it happened and she should set her sights on S.T., as she feels having a rich husband brings true happiness.

then buys Claudelle a pair of red shoes she has wanted for a long time and proposes to her when he gives them to her, but she laughs him off telling him he is too old and fat and sends him on his way.

Her mother tries to force her to marry S.T., but she flatly rejects him and starts having flings with Dennis (making love to him in his car down by the woods the same night she's supposed to go out with S.T.

), Dave Adams (Jan Stine), Charles Henry (Robert Logan), and other neighbor boys, gaining herself a bad reputation with the men.

At night, she cries in her sleep over memories of Linn and subconsciously realizes that being a bad girl is not going to help her cope with the pain.

tells Jessie how he thought she was Claudelle and how she reminds him of a young pretty girl wearing her white dress and asks her to go riding with him.

Back home, a sleeping Clyde wakes up to find Jessie gone and all the gifts in Claudelle's room from her various suitors.

Back at Harley's store, Dennis takes an expensive watch from the display case, planning to give it to Claudelle as an engagement present.

Clyde goes outside to fetch his shovel while Claudelle goes to her room to pack her things, only to be confronted by a crazed, revenge-seeking Harley pointing a pistol at her.

Harley has escaped by the time Clyde finds Claudelle lying on the floor of her room bleeding from the gunshot wound.

[5] Film rights were bought by Warner Bros prior to publication, in December 1958, and Horton Foote was assigned the job of writing the screenplay.