Home from the Hill

Wade Hunnicutt, the wealthiest man in an East Texas town, is wounded by a jealous husband, signaling the volatile nature of his world. The incident reveals his influence and the rough climate his family inhabits, and it foreshadows the power struggles that will ripple through Theron's upbringing. This event frames Theron's later exposure to danger and male-dominated landscapes.

Wade introduces Theron to hunting and other masculine pursuits under the watchful eye of their loyal employee, Rafe. Theron quickly grows adept and begins to see himself as a man-in-making, inspired by Rafe's self-reliance. The hunting trips also become a doorway through which Theron starts to learn about women and power dynamics in his world.

Theron rapidly develops into a skilled marksman under Rafe's mentorship. Through these lessons he begins to understand relationships and the role of women, shaping his ambitions and arrogance. The respect he earns in masculine pursuits further distances him from his family’s fragility.

Theron begins a secret romance with Libby Halstead, a local girl from a proper family, though her father Albert disapproves. The relationship must be kept hidden because of social pressure and Wade's reputation. Libby and Theron's bond becomes a focal point that tests family loyalties.

Theron learns from his mother that Wade is a notorious womanizer, that Rafe is Wade's illegitimate half-brother, and that his parents have not been intimate since before he was born. These revelations shake Theron's sense of family and obligation. He starts questioning loyalty to his father and to the family image.

Disturbed by his parents' dysfunction, Theron rejects the idea of family and Libby as his true love. Unbeknownst to him, Libby is pregnant, but she does not want the pregnancy to dictate their marriage. The looming child complicates Theron's internal rebellion.

Libby turns to Rafe for support, and driven by affection and compassion, Rafe agrees to marry her. The arrangement adds pressure to Theron's emotional world and sets up the triangle of loyalty that drives the drama. Rafe's decision is motivated by more than obligation; he acts out of care for Libby.

On Libby's newborn son's baptism day, gossip spreads that Wade fathered the child. The rumor fuels Libby's father's anger and intensifies tensions around Wade and the family. Wade and Hannah seek to reconcile after years apart, attempting to repair their fractured marriage.

Wade and Hannah make a bid to reconcile after seventeen years apart, signaling a fragile desire to mend what has been broken. The scene underscores the endurance of their grudges and the consequences for Theron and Libby. Their renewed proximity shakes the town's perception of the Hunnicutt family.

After Hannah exits, Wade is shot by an unknown assailant who disappears into the night. The event abruptly interrupts the failed reconciliation and plunges the family into a new cycle of violence. Theron begins to feel a pull to uncover who was behind the attack.

Theron tracks down the murderer and discovers that Albert, Libby's father, is the assailant. In a confrontation, Theron kills Albert in self defense, a brutal act that ends Libby's dream and brutalizes Theron emotionally. He leaves town soon after, unable to bear the fallout.

Theron departs, promising never to return, as Rafe and the rest of the town process the tragedy. The departure marks the end of Theron's attempt to live within Wade's world and foreshadows his search for meaning beyond the Hunnicutt name.

Months later, Rafe encounters Hannah at Wade's grave and offers to include her in the life of her grandson. She shows him that she has finally acknowledged him as Wade's son by inscribing the truth on the headstone. The revelation closes the emotional loop surrounding Wade, Libby, and Theron.