Eager to further his career, ambitious Tennessee Valley Authority administrator Chuck Glover (Montgomery Clift) journeys to a small town to oversee the clearing of the valley in preparation for the construction of a new dam. His plans meet with opposition in the form of the town's stubborn matriarch, 80-year-old Ella Garth (Jo Van Fleet), who refuses to leave. As Glover attempts to convince Garth, he falls in love with her granddaughter, Carol Garth Baldwin (Lee Remick).