Dixie

Dan and Jean sit beneath a magnolia tree as he sings. A fire breaks out at Jean's house, and Dan rushes to the firehouse for help, but the home is burned to ashes. Jean's angry father blames Dan for leaving his pipe in the hall and forbids the couple from seeing each other.

Jean's father confronts Dan about the disaster, blaming him for the tragedy. Dan vows to marry Jean once he becomes successful as an actor and composer, but Mason challenges him with a six-month deadline to prove his worth.

Dan leaves for New Orleans to pursue his dreams. On a Mississippi river boat, he sings 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' and is cheated by Mr. Bones in a card game, losing $500. He later learns the cards were faked and vows to confront Bones when they next meet in New Orleans.

Bones takes Dan to the boarding house run by Mr. Cook. The other tenants can't pay the rent, and Millie initially refuses to let Dan stay until Mr. Cook arranges an audition with the Maxwell Theatre's manager that evening.

The four boarders perform on stage, with the other two initially sidelined. Millie threatens to lock Bones in his room unless all four appear. They decide to cover their battered faces with black makeup and perform as a four-person act, opening with 'Old Dan Tucker' and 'The Last Rose of Summer', followed by Dan's solo 'She's From Missouri'.

The act expands into a twenty-four-artist minstrel show, with Mr. Cook joining as the only white-faced member. Dan remains loyal to Jean despite an attraction to Millie, while Millie, in a moment of pique, agrees to marry Bones.

The new minstrel show opens and features songs like 'Minstrel Show' and 'Buffalo Gals' as Dan sings 'A Horse That Knows the Way Back Home'. During a celebration supper, a fire breaks out because of Dan's pipe, forcing them to lose the theatre job.

Dan returns to his hometown to find Jean paralyzed and unable to walk. He decides to marry her and the couple travels to New York City; meanwhile Bones pursues Millie in New Orleans as they await repairs to the theatre.

In New Orleans, Bones asks Millie to marry him again; they learn the theatre will be repaired in three weeks. Dan sings 'If You Please' to Jean and attempts to sell his songs; a publisher refuses 'Dixie' but Dan sells ten other songs for $100 and refuses to part with 'Dixie'.

Mr. Cook informs Jean of Dan's success in New Orleans and reveals the situation with Millie. He urges Dan to return to New Orleans and join a new show of forty artists.

The new minstrel show, featuring about forty artists, is booked into the Opera House for three months, marking a major step in Dan's career. Jean stands by Dan as he embarks on this new chapter.

During the finale, the company performs 'Dixie' as Dan's pipe, left on stage, starts a fire. The tempo of the song accelerates and the audience joins in, but the fire burns Dan's dressing room and destroys Jean's valedictory letter.