Baby the Rain Must Fall

Georgette Thomas and her six-year-old daughter Margaret Rose leave Lovelady and travel toward Columbus to meet Henry Thomas, who has recently been released from prison after stabbing a man in a drunken brawl. They pass through Tyler on their way to his small southeastern Texas hometown, hoping to reunite the family. The journey sets up a fragile hope for a fresh start that will soon be tested.

Henry welcomes Georgette and Margaret Rose and introduces them to his daughter, resuming life in Columbus. He makes a determined effort to build a home, telling them he will become a star someday while continuing his part-time work with the Tillmans and playing music. The reunion brings warmth but also undercurrents of Henry’s unsettled past that threaten stability.

Kate Dawson, the aging spinster who raised Henry, immediately asserts control and threatens to have him returned to prison if he does not give up singing, attend night school, and get a real job. Her demands create tension in the house as she tries to rewrite his life according to her rules. Henry’s resistance to her authority foreshadows the ongoing conflict.

Henry clings to his dream of stardom, resisting Kate’s demands and convincing Georgette that he will someday be a star. He keeps performing with the Tillmans and maintains a steady job, even as he challenges the constraints that Kate imposes. The tension between art and restraint drives much of their early life in Columbus.

Kate Dawson dies, shaking the household to its core. The evening after the funeral, Henry, in a drunken outburst, destroys her possessions; shots show a belt hanging on a door, implying past abuse. He leaves with Kate’s silver, which had been willed to Mrs. Tillman, further complicating the family’s fate.

In a blow of hysteria, Henry wrecks his car at the cemetery gate and, while Georgette watches in horror from a distance, stabs Kate’s grave with a knife. The incident reveals the depth of Henry’s turmoil and signals a likely return to prison. The emotional collapse compounds the family’s perilous situation.

With Henry likely headed back to prison, Georgette and Margaret Rose decide to flee Columbus. They depart in a car driven by Slim, Henry’s childhood friend and the local sheriff’s deputy who had tried to help him before failing. Their departure marks the end of their attempt at a stable life in Columbus.

Slim drives them away, his long-standing loyalty to Henry clashing with his role as a lawman. The ride underscores the precarious tension between mercy and duty as the family pieces together one last escape. The journey becomes less a fresh start and more a hurried exit.

At a road crossing, Georgette sees Henry in the barred back of a sheriff’s vehicle, with Slim nearby. She turns Margaret Rose away rather than letting her see him, choosing to shield her daughter from the man who is about to be imprisoned. The moment seals Henry’s return to confinement in her mind.

Georgette and Margaret Rose drive away from the town onto the open highway, heading toward a distant Valley to begin anew. Georgette explains that their journey has covered great distances and that they will keep moving forward together. The road becomes a symbol of hope despite the painful past.

Georgette recounts the extensive travel they have endured—from Lovelady to Tyler to Columbus—and emphasizes their resilience. She reassures Margaret Rose that the family will continue to move forward, even as the past lingers. The narration underscores perseverance as their guiding force.

Georgette tells Margaret Rose that the warm Valley will be their new home, a fresh start after a turbulent past. The destination symbolizes a hopeful future where they can rebuild their lives together. The family remains bonded by love as they seek a brighter tomorrow.