Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!

Milt Dominy and his son Snug share a mutual loathing for Milt's wife Judith and her son Stretch. Their tension foreshadows a break in the family unit. Milt decides to return to the sea, setting Snug on his own financially shaky path.

With household tensions simmering, Snug takes a hired-hand job with Roarer McGill and moves closer to Rad, Roarer's daughter who teases him with mixed signals. He hopes for a future beyond the Dominy farm. Roarer keeps a wary eye on Snug's intentions toward his daughter.

Snug agrees to buy two mules, Crowder and Moonbeam, from Roarer. Roarer warns that ownership will revert if Snug misses any payment, injecting a risk that could undo his progress. The mules become both transportation and leverage in the story's conflicts.

Snug moves the mules to Tony's farm, where the veteran mule driver is trying to regain his luck. Tony introduces him to Mike Malone, a logging foreman with a well-paying opportunity. The meeting plants seeds for a way out of poverty through hard work.

Tony teaches Snug the teamster commands 'scudda hoo' and 'scudda hay,' the signals for steering the team. The lessons mark Snug's growing competence and independence. The education foreshadows his ability to maneuver through the coming tests.

Snug's deliberate insolence prompts Roarer to fire him, and he heads to the lumber camp to pursue work. The move marks a shift from the mules to steady labor in the woods. It also sets up a new financial tightrope.

Tony, who has been holding Snug's first week's pay, returns home drunk and broke. Snug begs Roarer to accept a double payment in a few days, but Roarer refuses and brings in Sheriff Tod Bursom to reclaim the mules. The legal pressure heightens the stakes for Snug.

Roarer's wife Lucy finally steps in and lends the money to cover the debt, easing the immediate crisis. Her support softens Roarer's stance and offers a glimmer of family solidarity. The moment also demonstrates the fragility of the Roarer household's finances.

News reaches Snug that his father Milt Dominy has died, leaving Snug the Dominy farm. The inheritance places Snug in charge of the family land and legacy. Tony's earlier concerns about eviction take on new urgency.

Tony vows to consult Judge Stillwell about eviction of Stretch and Judith from the Dominy farm, clearing a path for Snug's future with Rad. The legal move brackets personal and property conflicts into a single plan. The confrontation foreshadows a new order on the land.

Stretch places a wire snare in Crowder and Moonbeam's stall to cripple the mules. The act shows his continuing willingness to undermine Snug's stability. The danger heightens the tension around the farm and the mules.

Snug and Rad return from a date to find Stretch caught in the moment when Crowder nearly crushes him against the barn wall. Snug rescues Stretch from Crowder and throws him off Tony's property. The scene marks a dramatic break with Stretch's influence.

Judge Stillwell and Sheriff Bursom evict Stretch and his mother from the Dominy farm, removing the last major obstacle to Snug's independence. The eviction consolidates Snug's hold on the land and future.

As Snug, Rad and Tony ride away, Roarer's tractor is stuck in the mud. Snug bets Roarer that Crowder and Moonbeam can pull the tractor free, with the condition that success forgives Snug's debt. Roarer reluctantly agrees to the test.

With a skilled pull, the mules free the tractor, the bet is won, and Roarer concedes that the mules will stay in the family. Rad joins Snug in the celebration, and their engagement looks secure. The film closes on a note of stability and partnership.