Storm Warning

In December 1949, Marsha Mitchell travels from New York City to a work assignment and makes her way to the small Southern town of Rock Point. She visits her newlywed sister Lucy Rice and immediately senses hostility from the townspeople. While walking the main street, she overhears a disturbance at the nearby police station, hinting at trouble beneath the surface.

From the shadows, Marsha witnesses a drunken KKK mob break a man out of jail and fatally shoot him as he tries to flee. She glimpses two of the mob unmasking, revealing their faces. The incident exposes the town's hidden violence and sets the plot in motion.

Traumatized, Marsha seeks refuge at Lucy’s bowling alley. She recounts what she saw to Lucy, who identifies the murdered man as Walter Adams, a journalist investigating the Klan in town. This conversation reveals the motive behind the mob’s actions and why Adams was silenced.

Marsha is taken to Lucy's home where Hank, Lucy’s husband, is confronted with her account. He initially denies involvement but eventually admits he was at the scene and coerced, claiming he wasn’t the killer. He pleads with Marsha to keep quiet to protect his marriage and the unborn child.

District Attorney Burt Rainey begins an investigation into Adams’ murder, skeptical of the police explanation that the mob overpowered them. He questions Charlie Barr, Imperial Wizard of the local Klan chapter, but receives little useful information. Despite pressure from townspeople to drop the case, Rainey remains determined to pursue justice.

Rainey meets Marsha, who offers a partial account saying she saw Klansmen but could not recognize their faces beneath their hoods. Rainey serves her with a subpoena to testify at the inquest later that day. The move signals that the case will be pursued despite local cover-ups.

At the inquest, Marsha’s partial testimony leads the coroner’s jury to rule that Adams was killed by unknown assailants. The Klan and its sympathizers celebrate at the local bowling alley, mocking the inquiry. The town’s divisions intensify as justice seems elusive.

After the inquest, Hank returns home drunk and attempts to sexually assault Marsha. Lucy intervenes and condemns Hank, recognizing his true involvement. Feeling the weight of truth, Marsha resolves to tell Rainey and the police what she knows.

Hank abducts Marsha and takes her to a Klan rally, where she is beaten by the mob. Barr and the authorities arrive to rescue her, but the scene erupts into chaos. In the uproar, Hank’s conduct implicates him more directly in the violence.

During the confrontation, Hank shoots Lucy, and a police officer fatally shoots Hank. Barr is arrested as the remaining Klansmen flee, discarding their robes. The cross burns behind them, symbolizing the town’s brutality.

In the wake of the carnage, the Klansmen scatter into the night and the town is left to grapple with its wounds. Lucy dies in Marsha’s arms, underscoring the personal cost of the violence. The film closes with justice unsettled and the town divided.