Populated by a parade of fascinating characters, this slice-of-life story provides a glimpse into life in the Appalachian region in the early twentieth century. A prodigal son, the offspring of a legendary local moonshiner, makes his yearly pilgrimage home to the wilds of Virginia, where he kicks off the vestiges of his comparatively sophisticated existence in the city and immerses himself in the local customs.

The scenes are laid along the waters of the Cumberland, the lair of moonshiner and of feudsman. The knight is a moonshiner's son, and the heroine a beautiful girl perversely christened "The Blight." Two impetuous young Southerners' fall under the spell of "The Blight's" charms and she learns what a large part jealousy and pistols have in the love making of the mountaineers.